Asagi's Tale
by JediMasterDarjaak
Summary: After leaving Horai Island, Asagi ventures to Hokkaido to see more of the world, but finds more than she anticipated
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing from any Inuyasha episodes or movies

**Asagi's tale**

**Chapter 1**

**The Dragon Claw and the Forge**

The sun was sinking low on the western horizon, casting a weak amber light on the surrounding clouds. An icy wind blew across the thick forests, stripping them of the few leaves that remained. Snow had already carpeted the ground in pure white, and the leaden grey clouds high above promised more to come in the long night. A stream lay frozen in the depths of the wood. The silence was total, and the snow was disturbed only by the footsteps of a lone traveller.

Asagi slumped as she reached the frozen stream. One of the last hanyou children born on Horai Island, she had since taken up residence in the cold lands of Hokkaido. She wore a pale yellow dress, covered with a cape she'd managed to find in the ruins of a village. Her necklace of shells hung around her neck, and in one hand she held a spear made from ash and tipped with a rough piece of flint. She blew out a long breath and hit the ice with her spear butt, desperate to get something to drink. Although she pounded hard for several minutes, the ice barely cracked at all. Asagi flung down her spear in frustration and slumped to her knees.

"Why did I come to this place? All that lives here are dragon youkai and vicious humans!"

As she wept, the snarl of a wolf brought her back to reality. She took hold of her spear, but had hardly any will left to survive in this unforgiving landscape. The wolf looked at her, baring its' white fangs in contempt. Asagi decided to make the first move, since wolves were hard to kill. She leapt up onto a low tree branch, and flung her spear with surprising force at the wolf. It went straight through the wolf's body, killing it in an instant. Asagi looked surprised, but then leapt down to retrieve her weapon. The flint tip had splintered, but had only formed a sharper point. She walked along the banks of the stream, and suddenly heard the sound of running water. Her hopes soaring, Asagi ran to the source of the sound, despite the pangs of hunger that jolted her stomach. A more fast-flowing part of the stream was kept clear of ice. She knelt on the banks of the stream and gulped down the cold water, relieved to have something to drink at last. She looked around and saw several mussels in the rocks, which took very little effort to harvest. Relieved that her luck had turned around for the time being, Asagi began to gather dead wood and piled it on a rock near the stream. She began to try and set the wood on fire, but with no kinderling, it took several minutes to tempt a fire out of the branches. For the first time in five days, Asagi smiled. She began to cook the mussels, humming the 'Song of Separation' she'd sung so often on Horai Island. After several minutes, Asagi cracked open the scorched black shells and eagerly devoured the flesh inside. Her pale yellow eyes closed in delight. Although she didn't need to eat as often as humans did, she still needed a good meal every three days to keep herself going, and her last meal had been five days ago. After finishing her frugal meal, she decided to find a tree suitable for resting in. Just as she stamped out her fire, a harsh voice echoed through the forest.

"Look! A youkai!"

Four armed monks came hurrying towards Asagi, two of them knocking arrows to their bows, the others unsheathing swords. Asagi grimaced; no matter what she did or said, she'd have to fight to stay alive. Regardless, she decided to give reasoning a chance.

"I am no youkai, monks. Leave me be, I've done nothing to you!"

One of the monks glowered at her.

"Be silent, demon. Who are you to dare order us around?"

Asagi grabbed her spear and crouched down, the sheer cold forgotten in the face of combat. Her youkai reflexes would give her some warning if they attempted to attack, but as she was a hanyou, she'd be slowed down somewhat. A flicker of warning was all she needed to roll aside as the two monks holding bows fired. The sword wielding monks charged her, one on each side, as their companions reloaded. Asagi saw her chance and leapt into a tree just as her first opponent closed in on her. She braced herself and then leapt clean over the monks and ran, leaving them behind. After a few minutes, she came to a rest in a rocky gully. She stopped to get her breath back, but as she did so, she became aware of her surroundings. The colossal corpse of a recently dead dragon youkai filled the gully not five feet from where she stood. Purple blood pooled on the ground, showing that the beast had not died quietly, but in battle. Its mottled green and red hide was gashed and torn, and the horned head made it look like the youkai had died in pain. Asagi slowly got up, and, as if in a dream, climbed the beast's corpse to the right foreleg. Setting aside her spear, she took hold of one of the claws and managed to pull it free of the dragon's corpse. She shook her head and looked at the talon, not knowing why she'd ripped a four foot claw from a dead dragon. Before she could climb down, a deafening roar from above alerted her to the presence of another dragon. Flying low, the dragon gave a piercing screech and prepared to fire a green beam of some sort at her. Asagi knew that if she was hit, she would not live. Reacting purely on instinct, she seized her flint spear and hurled it into the air. A roar of pain told her she'd achieved more than she imagined, and she looked up to see the dragon roaring, the spear sticking out of its' right eye. Wincing, she took hold of the claw and ran for her life. When she was a safe distance away she looked back over her shoulder. Thankfully, she was not being pursued. She walked on towards a large mountain when a sense of well-being touched her mind. She climbed a tree and before she knew it, she was asleep.

Morning dawned cold and in the middle of a snowstorm. The sudden cold hit Asagi, and the young hanyou curled up, shaking violently. She looked around for shelter, but as she did so, an emerald light emerged in front of her, mysteriously warming her. A soft voice spoke to her, one that seemed familiar.

_Asagi, you need to be strong._

Asagi opened one eye, shivering.

"Strong? Being strong won't help me here, when I'm freezing to death and starving!"

_You've always been a courageous one._

"Courage won't put food in my belly! Bravery won't warm me!"

She sobbed, wishing her torment would end. The emerald light wrapped around her, suddenly making her as warm as if she were curled under a bed of fur. Asagi slowly opened her eyes and then the light spoke to her again.

_Go to the Tree of the Hanyou; take the branch you see on the ground, and then head for the mountain. You'll find food, warmth and shelter there. Be safe, Asagi-chan._

"Wait! Don't go!"

Already the emerald light had faded and gone. Asagi made to move when she saw she was dressed in warmer clothing. A bodysuit of black and dark blue leather covered her from her neck down to her feet, her hands free to move easily. Around her waist was a belt, clearly designed to hold a weapon. Asagi spent several moments admiring her mysterious clothing when the voice spoke to her again.

_You're disguised as a youkai slayer, so no humans will pursue you. But other youkai may view you as a weak kill. Take the claw with you to the mountain along with the spirit tree wood. You will understand soon, Asagi-chan._

Asagi brushed her dark green hair back out of her face and began to walk. It made sense, she told herself, to try and pass as a human, since her only clues to being a hanyou were her pointed ears and dark green hair. Soon, she came to a massive tree, clearly centuries old. At the base of the tree was a long branch, dark red in colour and spotted with white here and there. She knelt down and took it in her hands. She lifted it up, surprised it would weigh so much, and then began to head to the nearby mountain. Here, the terrain became much more wild and rocky, with only a few hardy rowan trees dotting the landscape. Asagi paused with the claw in one hand and the branch in the other, and looked over the harsh terrain. A desire to survive no matter what set in her, and she resumed her ascent to the lower part of the mountain. The snowstorm was still blowing hard, and Asagi tried to hurry. As the entrance to a cave became evident, even more so when it was clearly lit by the blast of flame from inside, she suddenly slipped on some black ice and fell. Pain burst inside her skull, then darkness swamped her.

Slowly, Asagi came to her senses. A placid, male voice came to her, one that sounded bored with everything around him.

"What is the hand that protects?"

Asagi opened her eyes and looked around the cave. Horai Island had had caverns, but this one was bizarre by any standards. A pool of hot water boiled in the middle of the cavern, and a vast furnace stood behind it, giving off heat. A male human, or humanlike youkai, walked into the dim light of the cave and looked at her impatiently. He looked to be about sixty in human terms, but if he was a youkai, there was no telling his age.

"Well? Which hand protects?"

Asagi thought back to the song she'd heard so often before, and then ventured an answer.

"The right hand of youkai protects."

The man gave a non-committal grunt.

"I see you were raised on Horai Island then, hanyou. I'm Hanone, the sword smith."

Asagi nodded, looking around still.

"I'm Asagi. I was told to give you these so you could forge a weapon. Can that be done?"

Hanone took the dragon claw and the branch off her, and studied them meticulously. Asagi sat on the floor as Hanone examined the materials. Finally he looked up.

"Yes, I can forge a weapon from this. You're still young, hanyou, your youkai blood has yet to emerge from you, and you don't want to see what happens when it does. Even if they do have mixed strengths, hanyou such as you can lose control totally and become mindless killers. When do you lose your youkai powers?"

Asagi thought hard, not entirely sure herself. Hanone tapped his foot on the rocky ground, looking impatient. Finally she looked up at him.

"The day the new moon emerges from the old moon's arms."

Hanone gave a grudging smile.

"Been years since I heard anyone use that phrase. Very well then, I'll forge you a weapon if you complete four out of six tests I set you. It'll take me two weeks to do, and each of your tests will help you gain strength."

Asagi got up, but even as she rose, her stomach rumbled. Hanone looked at her with mild amusement.

"Hungry eh? Over there, by the pool, is some preserved food. Go on, eat up."

Asagi smiled and ran to where the food was said to be kept. As she made to open the metal door with the food in, she could feel the hot metal burning her hands. She yelped in pain, and Hanone began to work on the piece of wood from the Hanyou Tree.

"Your first test is to get that open. Use anything you think is appropriate."

Asagi turned to look around the cave for anything useful. Hammers, tongs, a pair of anvils, nearly everything Hanone possessed was related to metal working. Finally her eyes landed on a bucket. She hurried over, picked up the bucket and filled it with water from the pool. She sloshed it over the metal handle, but although it sizzled, it was still too hot to touch. Hanone took a knife and began to carve a sheath for the sword to be contained in. Asagi frowned, and then decided to venture out of the cave. She walked outside, and began to gather snow to put in the bucket. After a few minutes, the bucket was full of crisp white snow, and Asagi walked back inside. She knew that the snow would melt quickly, so she hastily pressed it to the metal handle. A hissing sound came from the hot metal, and it was now cool enough to touch. Asagi gripped the handle and opened the door. Inside was preserved bread, some kind of jam, as well as dried meat. She glanced up at Hanone.

"Am I ok to have all of this?"

Hanone was engrossed in his work, but glanced up anyway.

"Go ahead. I only eat every month or so."

"Thank you."

Asagi eagerly began to eat. After snacking on bread and dried meat, she felt much better. Hanone began to heat a bar of silver, blowing fire onto it in order to coat the sheath.

"Your next task you can do tomorrow. There's a small room off the side of the cave. Go and rest, although if you want to, you can haul some iron down from higher up the mountain."

Asagi stretched and decided to venture a question.

"Hanone? Did you ever hear of Inuyasha?"

Hanone looked up.

"Oh, the half-brother of Sesshoumaru? Yes, I met him once. How do you know of him?"

"I met him twice on Horai Island. It was him and his companions who defeated the Four War Gods. Will my sword be as good as his Tessaiga?"

"Yes. Inuyasha's blade came from a fang from his father. Yours comes from the claw of a dragon. You'll probably have trouble with it at first; you aren't very old and you probably can't handle heavy things yet."

Asagi looked offended.

"I can handle heavy things! I'll go up the mountain right now and bring that iron down!"

She turned and ran for the cave entrance, eventually vanishing up the slope. Hanone gave a deep chuckle.

"Works every time."

Over the next few days, Hanone trained Asagi in sword to sword combat, how to be more agile, and eventually granted her the dragon claw sword. It looked a match for Tessaiga even before it transformed. When it changed to a russet coloured blade, it was almost as long as Asagi was tall, and it seemed to gain weight. Asagi duelled with her mentor, but was unable to unleash the two powerful attacks her sword had been crafted with. One would send a powerful rush of water racing at her foe, and the other would fire a barrage of emerald shrapnel flying at the enemy. Hanone was able to perform both flawlessly, but that was because he was a full blooded youkai. Asagi seemed to lack the ability to use her sword to its' maximum potential. However, she was more than capable of making the sword transform and perform its' standard slashing attack. After several days of practice, Hanone decided to test out his pupil.

"Asagi, you have done well, but there is still room for you to improve. On the next hill, there's a rock youkai that's been bothering me for some time. I need you to go there and deal with it."

Asagi looked at Hanone. In the three weeks she'd been under his training, she'd reverted to her human form for a single day, and had passed all of his tests. But all of them put together didn't seem half as bad as fighting a rock ogre by herself. She stood up, belting on the dragon claw sword. She walked out of the forge and into the chilly air. Fortunately, today was crisp and clear. The sky above was an icy blue, free of clouds. The sun was approaching its peak, but wasn't high enough to shed much warmth. Asagi walked down the mountain, heading towards the hill nearby.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha series or movies

'Hanone' translates to 'fang'

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 2**

**First blood! Asagi vs. the stone ogre**

Asagi hiked up the rocky hill near Hanone's mountain. Although Hanone's mountain home had been littered with boulders and cliffs, there had been many trees higher up on the mountain, and Asagi had seen eagles soaring around the peak at least twice. The hill of the stone ogre showed no trees that hadn't been uprooted, and the dark earth showed everywhere. Black obsidian marked the land, and jagged pieces of granite stood out like broken bones. Clearly, the stone ogre wanted no-one to be in any doubt whose hill this was. Asagi suddenly leapt aside as the ground shook and collapsed. She landed easily, blowing out a breath of relief as she looked into the crevasse that had nearly taken her life. She then carried on looking around, trying to find the stone ogre. As she walked, memories flashed back to her, unbidden. She felt her eyes grow moist as she remembered bidding goodbye to the other five hanyou children she'd protected. Inuyasha had offered to take them to the village near his forest, a proposal they had all leapt at except for her. Asagi had said she would come back when she'd travelled around and seen more of the world, but little Ai had been devastated. For an hour she had wept that she would miss her, but eventually had let her go. Asagi had promised she would bring back something nice for Ai, which had probably been the reason the small hanyou had stopped crying. She had then promised the younger hanyou she'd return one day to care for her until she was bigger, and then she had left. She had travelled all summer, and then crossed into Hokkaido in the late autumn. She was jolted from her memories when a rock flew past her ear, shattering to pieces. Asagi whipped around and drew her sword.

"Come out! I know you're there, I can smell you!"

There was a loud rumble, and a twenty foot tall giant made of rocks and earth stood up. It sneered at the young hanyou stood on its' domain.

"Who are you to venture into my domain, hanyou?"

Asagi scowled, her sword turning russet red and growing larger as it transformed.

"I am Asagi of Horai Island!"

The giant laughed, enough to make the ground quake.

"Horai Island? Never heard of it. I am Rakuseki, overlord of this domain!"

Asagi gritted her teeth. She knew that Rakuseki would not be easy to beat.

"Overlord? Hanone owns this territory, not you!"

On hearing the name of the sword smith, Rakuseki let out a bellow of rage and fired a hail of small rocks at Asagi. Fortunately, Asagi was able to miss most of them and block the ones that were heading her way. Rakuseki let out a second torrent of rocks, but Asagi had already moved. She leapt up and slashed Rakuseki with her sword. The stone ogre stumbled, but otherwise seemed unfazed. Asagi landed easily, and looked to see the cyan slash mark fade. Her eyes widened in shock.

_What! That should have cleaved him in half!_

She took a firmer grip on the sword, silently wishing for the power to defeat the stone ogre. Rakuseki stumbled around and fired another hail of rocks at her. Asagi leapt back, taking advantage of the uneven terrain to seek out a better standing point. Rakuseki constantly kept up a barrage of rocks, and Asagi mentally thanked Hanone for teaching her to be so agile. She leapt, flipped and dodged so nimbly, she almost seemed to fly at some times. Deciding to go for a close range attack, she leapt right up into Rakuseki's face and brought the sword down hard on his rocky skull. A crack appeared, but not before the stone ogre had sent her flying back, hit by a rock barrage. Asagi slumped on the ground, only inches away from the crevasse she had nearly fallen down earlier. Rakuseki stomped after her, determined to finish off the annoyingly agile hanyou. Asagi forced herself to get up, and then backed away, drawing Rakuseki closer. She then ran up and slashed with her sword, scoring a direct hit on the stone ogre's ankle. Rakuseki roared in fury and toppled forward.

Straight into the crevasse.

Asagi ran a hand over her brow and sighed in relief. Rakuseki was gone, and she felt proud of defeating her first youkai. She made her way back to Hanone's mountain, but decided to take in the scenery a little more first. She sat down and watched the day go by. The sky was a lovely fresh blue, and as the sun reached its' peak, hardy birds sang softly. Asagi smiled softly as a pair of finches flew and landed near her. On Horai Island, the birds had been tame enough to approach them regularly. After sitting and watching the scenery for a few hours, Asagi got up and walked back to the forge where Hanone waited. The elderly man wasted no time with greetings.

"Well, did you defeat Rakuseki then Asagi?"

Asagi nodded and withdrew her sword.

"I did, but it wasn't easy."

"I know it wasn't easy. There'd have been no point to it if it were an easy task. You surprise me, Asagi, I had very little hope you would defeat a stone ogre."

Asagi sat on the floor, and blew out a long breath.

"My sword had next to no effect on him at all. You knew that?"

Hanone nodded as he turned to the forge and began smelting iron in it.

"I did. This hopefully taught you an important lesson. Just because you are the owner of the Ryuuzatsume, it doesn't mean you can depend solely on your blade."

Asagi looked curious.

"Ryuuzatsume?"

"The name of your sword, Asagi, it means 'Dragon claw'."

"I still don't know how I can unlock the two ultimate attacks you've put in my blade. Can't you give me a hint?"

"My hint is this, Asagi. Train hard and you'll be able to unleash the Kaze no Mizu, the scar of water."

Asagi recognised the tension in her mentor's voice, and decided against asking any more questions for now. She got up and went to the side cave she had made into her living quarters. Hanone carried on heating the iron, when a loud crack from outside called his attention.

"Asagi, quick! Bring your sword!"

Asagi ran outside, holding the sheathed Ryuuzatsume. It didn't take long to discover the source of the commotion. An orange light as bright as the sun rose up from the land, splintered into at least twenty pieces, and flew in all directions. Hanone shook his head.

"Someone has been searching for the Dragon Talisman it seems."

As they looked, the orange fragments turned green. Most of them were flying south and east, but one was headed in their direction. With a rumble, it landed on the hill next to the mountain. Hanone pushed Asagi, making the hanyou stumble.

"Go and fetch that shard of the Protection Gem Asagi. If you retain even one piece of it, then even if the rest is gathered, they won't be able to unlock the Dragon Talisman."

She looked at her mentor, confused.

"What happens when someone has the Dragon Talisman?"

"They gain the ability to mentally control all dragons. However, only a daiyoukai can handle such a task. A human, youkai or a hanyou can't. To put it simply, the dragons would be tamed to some degree, but would then break free and go on a rampage. Even Inuyasha's father struggled to defeat a dragon youkai. The only daiyoukai alive today who could handle the Talisman…"

Hanone trailed off. Asagi waited for a minute or so, and then ventured a question.

"Who? Who could handle the Dragon Talisman?"

Hanone shook his head.

"I can't tell you now Asagi. Go to that hill, find the piece of the Protection Gem, and bring it back here. If I have it, I can give you the ability to find the others."

Asagi walked down the hillside, wondering how she could possibly find a chunk of gem in all the rubble on the stone ogre's hill. As she reached the rocky hill, finding the gem proved no trouble at all. Rakuseki had clambered out of the crevasse, and the gem fragment had become lodged in his body. He snarled at Asagi as she approached and immediately fired a barrage of rocks at her. Asagi drew Ryuuzatsume not a second too early as the rocks pelted the ground around her. She scowled at the stone ogre, and stood her ground.

"This time Rakuseki, I won't stop until you're dead!"

"You're all talk, half-breed."

Asagi ran at Rakuseki, but came to a stop when she felt a shiver run through not her, but her sword. She leapt up; somehow feeling more energised than before, and slashed with Ryuuzatsume. This time, the sword cleaved her enemy in half. Rakuseki dissolved before her eyes, leaving the chunk of the gem behind. Asagi picked up the gem, which was no bigger than a small egg. It felt strangely warm for a piece of gem, which she took to believe was because it was a mystic gem. She clutched it in her hand and hiked back to Hanone's mountain.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha series or movies

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 3**

**Seeker of the shards**

Asagi sat and waited whilst Hanone modified the gem so she could find other pieces like it. Two weeks had passed since she had triumphed over Rakuseki, and she had reverted to her human form once again with the coming of the day old moon. Hanone had worked hard on the gem, and only now was it starting to respond to her touch. She shifted and stood up.

"Hanone, I'm going to seek out the pieces of the Protection Gem. I can't just sit here doing nothing."

The old sword smith barely responded, except to grunt. Asagi walked to the cave exit, and looked over the vast expanse of countryside. She could feel the piece of gem she possessed in the forge, but if she could only sense them at close range, her chances seemed slim. Sighing, she walked down the snow-covered slopes, heading towards a lake in the distance, hoping it would be as good a place as any to start. Although winter had only just begun, the last few days hadn't been so harsh. Asagi trundled on through the snow, still clad in her black and blue youkai slayer outfit. On her back she carried a small pack, big enough to carry flint and tinder, a dagger, and enough rations to keep her going for a good week or so. She flexed involuntarily as she walked into a sunny patch, smiling as she felt the sun's warmth on her side. Birds chirped in the trees as she entered the forest she'd encountered the monks in. Although very few trees still had broad leaves on, pine trees made excellent shelter from the snow. As she walked through the forest, enjoying the mild scent of pine needles as she passed through the dim patches of coniferous wood, a snarl came to her ears. She turned around to see a white wolf eyeing her, as if deciding whether or not to kill her. Three more wolves appeared, effectively trapping her. Asagi drew Ryuuzatsume, knowing what to do.

"I'm not gonna let you push me around! Back off if you don't want to feel my sword slicing you up!"

The wolves snarled and looked ready to rush the outnumbered hanyou. Asagi looked grim as Ryuuzatsume transformed into its larger, wavy-edged form. A female voice, not too unlike Asagi's own, called into the forest.

"Wait, stand down, and don't attack her! We've lost enough as it is!"

A twister of white smoke appeared and raced towards Asagi. A humanoid wolf youkai leapt out of the twister and skidded to a halt not four feet from Asagi. The newcomer was a bit taller than Asagi, and had vibrant red hair with a blue iris in one of her broad ponytails. Her eyes were jade green, and she wore a white fur cape, a black and red corset-like top, a white fur skirt, white fur boots that left her toes exposed and a white circlet around her forehead. She looked to be about eighteen, but since she was a youkai, she could easily be a few hundred. The female youkai looked her over, her hand on the sheathed katana that hung by her hip. She eyed Ryuuzatsume, aware that the hanyou could likely inflict serious pain with it.

"Don't kill my pack, ok?"

Asagi looked at her, a mixture of awe and fear on her face.

"Who are you?"

The wolf youkai beckoned her pack mates to back away, and then she rubbed her forehead with the back of her left arm.

"Ayame's my name; I'm the princess of the White Wolf clan."

Asagi thought hard, and then clicked her fingers in realisation.

"Oh, I think Inuyasha mentioned you once. Fiancé to someone named Kouga?"

Ayame shrugged.

"I was, now I couldn't care less about him. I'm here to search for a new home for my clan; they were decimated by Naraku last season."

"I'm Asagi, from Horai Island. I'm here to…"

Ayame waved this aside.

"You're a hanyou from Horai?"

Asagi nodded. Ayame smiled.

"Do you know this area well? Perhaps you could tell us where there are good hunting grounds, and an area to make a den? We've been roaming for months now; we need a home."

Asagi blinked, confused. Ayame certainly seemed eager to settle in this wild region. She told the wolf youkai how it was a dangerous area, and spoke of her encounter with the dragons, the monks, and Rakuseki. Ayame waved this all off.

"Oh, I know it won't be easy here, but we need a place to stay. So do you know anywhere? Our old den was destroyed."

Asagi gave in, knowing all too well the pang of losing a home.

"Go out this forest in that direction," she pointed behind her, "and you'll come to a rocky hill. It'd keep you and your pack well hidden."

Ayame smiled as her wolves took off.

"Well, do you mind if I travel with you? I don't feel like settling down just yet; I want to see more of this land."

Asagi had already begun to walk on, and abruptly stopped. A totally strange lupine youkai was asking to be her companion, and to travel with her for the same reason she'd left her friends. She turned around to Ayame.

"You really want to come with me? You didn't know I existed yesterday!"

Ayame nodded and smiled.

"I'm pretty fast, as you saw. I can help you, Asagi-chan. I can tell you're on a quest of some sort."

Asagi smiled back.

"Well ok then. I'm heading to a lake to search for a piece of green gem I think fell there."

Ayame gave a slight laugh, her expression becoming more serious.

"There's another Shikon no Tama? Kouga would go ballistic if he knew. Don't worry, I'm not after it. Kouga was cheating by being powerful using gem fragments."

Ayame began walking with Asagi, telling the hanyou about the Shikon jewel, and how youkai had lusted after its' powers until it was completed, purified, and vanished from the world. A relative of Inuyasha's called Sesshoumaru had done the deed, and was also heading for Hokkaido to expand his empire there. Ayame knew little of Inuyasha's half-brother, except that he was very powerful, and carried one of the few existing blades that could bring back the dead. As they neared the edge of the forest, an arrow flew past Ayame, instantly putting the lupine youkai on her guard. No less than a dozen soldiers were aiming their bows at them, whilst another ten were picking up swords and spears. Asagi scowled, but then something happened to her sense of smell. She could scent clear water everywhere, in the air, coming from the ground and even from her newfound friend. She drew Ryuuzatsume, temporarily drawing Ayame's attention.

"That's quite a blade you have there Asagi-chan. What powers does it have?"

Asagi gave a humourless smile as she brandished the enormous blade and stood ready to attack.

"Only ones I have yet to master."

The first few archers were about to fire when suddenly; Ryuuzatsume pulsed once, twice, thrice. The scarlet blade changed to deep blue, and the smell of fresh water was everywhere. Asagi panicked as the archers fired, and swung the transformed sword at the soldiers. A tornado of water emerged and decimated the group of attackers. It was over in an instant, but it seemed to last forever. Asagi slumped as the sword reverted back to its' normal size and colour.

"What happened? I've never used an attack like that before!"

Ayame looked puzzled too.

"I've no idea. Anyway, the lake's up ahead."

Sure enough, the lake lay close by, frozen over for the most part. Asagi felt a slight draw towards the lake, and walked forward, sensing a piece of the Protection Gem nearby. After looking out over the frozen lake, Asagi eventually saw it glinting on the ice. She gave a sigh and walked onto the ice. Ayame shook her head, sighing.

"Asagi-chan, you won't make it out that far, and if you do, what if the ice breaks?"

Asagi ignored her lupine friend, and concentrated on walking on the ice. Every now and then, she could hear a crack beneath her feet, but as she wasn't dropped into icy water suddenly, she kept going. Eventually she came up to the sparkling gem fragment, and slowly knelt down to pick it up. After what felt like an eternity of suspense, she felt the gem in her hand. She turned back to the shore, where Ayame was pacing, and suddenly sensed something approaching. Winging its' way towards her was a heron youkai, not looking especially pleased to see her in its' domain. Asagi began to walk faster, when the heron suddenly shot a cyan beam at her and only narrowly missed her. Ice began to spread over the frozen surface, and Asagi realised she could use the heron's own attack to her advantage. She pocketed the gem fragment and drew Ryuuzatsume, but no scent of water flooded her senses this time. The blade turned deep red, and she stood ready on the thicker ice as the heron youkai circled back to attack. She frowned; now was not the time to battle a territorial bird.

"Get out of my way!"

She slashed with the sword, strongly enough to send a crescent of energy flying at the bird. The heron squawked as it was hit, but flew in regardless and smashed into her. Asagi was sent sprawling on the ice, disbelief written on her face. She had taken hits from other youkai before and not been affected, but on the other hand, she had never sent a crescent of energy at someone before. She got up, and decided to run for the shore. Soon she was stood on the shoreline with Ayame, the heron still pursuing them. Ayame glared up at the bird as Asagi raised Ryuuzatsume.

"No, now it's my turn Asagi-chan."

She punched the ground; hard enough to draw blood, but astonishingly, leaves flew up out of the chilled earth and were sent flying at the heron youkai. Although the heron was hit, it still looked game for more. Asagi swung Ryuuzatsume, finally finishing off the youkai. She sheathed her sword and slumped in the snow.

"Well, that was unusual."

Ayame dusted herself off and looked at her hanyou companion.

"What was? You fought very well there."

Asagi looked up at her friend.

"I think that gem piece had something to do with it. I've never been so affected by a physical hit."

"How do you mean, Asagi-chan?"

Asagi got up, the green gem fragment in one hand.

"Push me."

Ayame did so, sending the hanyou sprawling. Asagi got up, but this time, left the gem fragment on the ground.

"Now try again."

Ayame, looking thoroughly puzzled, pushed her, but this time only sending her back a few paces. Asagi nodded.

"It seems that gem fragment's responsible. It must drain defensive capabilities in order to enhance offensive power."

Ayame picked up the gem piece, looking thoughtful.

"You could be right. We'll need some way to keep this with us, but so its' powers won't affect us."

Asagi shrugged and took the gem piece back, then tucked it in her bag. She shouldered her pack.

"Try pushing me once more Ayame."

Ayame did so, but again, Asagi only staggered back a few paces. Asagi smiled.

"It seems the gem fragment has to be touching your skin to have an effect. Come on Ayame, we need to go and find the rest."

Ayame looked at her warily.

"How many fragments are there exactly?"

Asagi shrugged.

"Maybe as many as fifty. But if this one is average size, it may be as few as two dozen or so."

Ayame looked relieved.

"That's good; there were about three hundred Shikon shards."

Asagi smiled.

"What happened to it, did someone shoot it with an arrow?"

"Exactly. Kagome did."

Asagi giggled, and then began to walk. Ayame caught up to her and they both headed towards a village nearby. As they got closer, smoke became apparent. As they neared the settlement, a band of raiders on horseback came into view, and it was clear they were gutting the settlement. Many of the villagers had been killed, and only a handful remained, huddled in a tower in the centre of the village. Asagi drew Ryuuzatsume, and Ayame unsheathed her katana. By now the raiders were aware of the two youkai, and already several were preparing to engage them. Asagi swung the dragon claw sword, cleaving her first attacker in half. Ayame was battling two raiders at once, easily holding them off until she cut them down. The villagers looked on in apprehension. Asagi swung her sword, cutting down another three raiders, and called to the villagers.

"We wouldn't mind help for saving your lives you know!"

At that, one or two villagers took up bows and arrows and began to snipe at the raiders. By now, half the raiding party was dead or wounded. Deciding to raid another day, those who could rode off. The rest were quickly dispatched. The villagers poured out of their tower, and some even came to thank Asagi and Ayame. Asagi looked perplexed; Inuyasha rarely received thanks on this scale. One villager offered them food, which they eagerly accepted, but insisted on moving out at the earliest opportunity. Asagi was all in favour of accepting their food, but Ayame seemed more hesitant. Ayame could just about pass as human, but although her form looked like an eccentrically dressed girl, she had definite wolf characteristics that un-nerved the villagers. In the end they compromised and left with enough food to last them a week. Asagi walked towards a wide expanse of plains, covered with snow. Suddenly she stopped, Ayame nearly walking into her. The wolf youkai looked at her.

"What is it Asagi-chan?"

Asagi pointed. Heading towards them were a group of five figures, one clearly an animal and three of them small, but the fifth one was tall and even from this distance, looked intimidating.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Inuyasha

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 4**

**Sesshoumaru's arrival. Enter the Black Cave!**

Ah-Un strode along beside his master, occasionally glancing at Rin. The orphan child was shivering, clearly not fond of the chilly climate. Jaken made no comment either way as he walked along in the snow, but Kohaku looked on the verge of going to comfort Rin. Sesshoumaru walked along silently, at his side the healing sword Tenseiga and his newer killing blade, Bakusaiga. He stopped in the middle of a plain, looking at two figures on the other side of the field, ignoring Jaken as he bumped into him and immediately began apologising. Unexpectedly, Kohaku stumbled and fell. Rin ran to his side and shook the young boy.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, Kohaku's not well!"

Sesshoumaru turned to see Kohaku had indeed taken on an unhealthy pallor, and his face was deep red, probably from some fever. He spoke in a quiet monotone, but every syllable could be plainly heard.

"Jaken. Take Kohaku, Rin and Ah-Un to that forest. Make camp there and build a fire. Do not let Kohaku weaken."

Even as the imp-like youkai complied with his wishes, Sesshoumaru teleported away, leaving the small group to wander away. As the cyan light formed around him, he thought over what his mother had said.

"_Sesshoumaru, I cannot revive your boy Kohaku completely. Without that gem piece, he will die in a year. Go to the north. Your father's brother__ has a healing sword that will save your boy."_

Asagi and Ayame watched in silence as the tall figure teleported away, and the other four headed to a small wood nearby. After a short while, they began to head towards a gulley nearby, and came across a dark cave reaching into the back of the rock. Asagi gingerly moved forward, looking very uneasy.

"Ayame, can you sense it too?"

Ayame nodded, her expression wary.

"I've never felt such an oppressive atmosphere before. We should move away from here fast."

Asagi nodded and they left the cave behind. As they walked down the gulley, the daylight began to fade. Icy winds blew overhead, but luckily not down the small canyon. Ayame finally stopped her hanyou companion.

"Asagi, we can't carry on like this. We'll have to make camp for the night."

Asagi sighed.

"You're right Ayame. But this whole area is really scary."

"I know, I don't like it either, but we have no other choice. We'll leave at first light tomorrow and search for more gem pieces."

Asagi nodded and began to shore up rocks and dirt to create a wind break where she could rest.

"I think we should look for the gem pieces nobody's claimed yet, it'll be easier. But I have no idea where one might be, I just know they fell to the east and south of Hanone's mountain."

Ayame stretched and lay down, her thick white fur warming her.

"Well, this is to the east of the mountain. We ought to go a little further north to see if there's anything there, then loop back south and scour the area."

Asagi curled up, sleep beckoning to her.

"I'll talk to you in the morning Ayame."

"Sleep well, Asagi-chan."

By the time darkness fell, both youkai and hanyou were sound asleep. Further up the gulley, a phantom form left the black cave and stole into Asagi's dreams. The young hanyou twitched as she pictured herself wielding a black version of Ryuuzatsume, her anger and rage boiling over, and finally unleashing an attack of immense power.

Morning broke over the gulley, bringing sparse warmth with it. Ayame was the first to wake, and began to sort through their food bag, bringing out unleavened bread and two flat rice cakes. It looked unappetising, but Ayame forced her share down. She could have easily caught herself some prey, but she didn't want to leave Asagi alone. Although the hanyou had a blade as powerful as Inuyasha's, she slept soundly and showed no signs of waking soon. After half an hour, Ayame prodded Asagi awake. Asagi ate her food quietly, then turned to her companion.

"Have you ever seen an attack that unleashes a black dragon?"

Ayame frowned and shook her head.

"No. Is that why you were so fretful in your sleep?"

Asagi nodded.

"I could see myself using that attack, and Ryuuzatsume was stained black."

Ayame closed the food bag and shouldered it herself, gem fragment and all.

"It was just a dream, Asagi-chan. Don't let it worry you."

Asagi looked uneasy, but got up anyway. As they travelled, she began to feel the faint sense of a gem fragment. This alone brought her round.

"Ayame, over by that tree, there's a gem fragment!"

Sure enough, glinting in the snow, lay another piece of the Protection Gem. Ayame walked up to it when suddenly a three-eyed carrion crow dropped out of the tree, giving a harsh shriek. Ayame drew her katana, which very quickly pulsed green, and unleashed a hail of leaves that were razor sharp. The crow was shredded, and Ayame picked up the gem piece.

"Well, now we have two."

Asagi silently held her hand out for the gem shard, and took out the one she already had, looking curious. As she touched the two together, they flew apart and hung in the air, one clearly a part of the edge of the gem, and one part of the inside. Ayame looked closer at the partly complete gem.

"It looks to me like there's a good sixty more pieces. Perhaps they all fell very near one another."

Asagi shrugged and plucked the two gem pieces out the air and put them in their bag.

"Well, if we find no others, we still have these two. And Hanone has one as well."

Ayame looked at the hanyou girl.

"You aren't giving up, are you Asagi?"

Asagi shrugged and looked more tired than ever.

"Even if we reassemble the Protection Gem, neither of us can touch the Dragon Talisman. Only one daiyoukai can take care of it, and we have no idea who he or she is."

Ayame looked worried at this revelation. She glanced around the woods, and leapt aside as a torrent of fire jetted the ground she'd just been stood on. Jaken was holding the Staff of Heads, and behind him sat Rin. Asagi ran up, but made no effort to approach the imp-like youkai. Jaken spoke first.

"Leave, hanyou. Rin-chan is with Lord Sesshoumaru, and if any harm comes to her because of you, you'll wish you were dead."

Rin got up and ran towards the newcomers, as friendly as ever.

"Hello! This is Rin, and this is Jaken-sama. We're looking for Sesshoumaru-sama's uncle, have you seen him?"

Jaken began to curse at Rin loudly, but the small girl simply ran up to Asagi and Ayame, clearly not aware they could be dangerous. Asagi shifted slightly, adjusting Ryuuzatsume on her belt. As she made to speak, Rin cut her off with a squeal of delight.

"You're a hanyou? Rin likes hanyou; Sesshoumaru-sama's brother is one!"

Asagi looked at the child.

"Do you mean Inuyasha?"

Rin nodded, but was forestalled by the arrival of Sesshoumaru. The white-haired daiyoukai looked at Asagi and Ayame, no expression readable on his aristocratic features. Rin spoke up.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, these are friendly youkai. They didn't come here to hurt Rin-chan or Kohaku-kun."

Sesshoumaru looked at his young ward, and then smiled slightly. He then looked at Asagi.

"You are a hanyou, correct?"

Asagi nodded. Unlike many hanyou, she had no trouble with her mixed heritage.

"Have you seen a canine daiyoukai like me?"

Asagi shook her head, but then thought of the dragon youkai she'd nearly been killed by.

"I did see a powerful dragon youkai. Perhaps the…"

She trailed off; realizing Sesshoumaru could be the daiyoukai capable of handling the Dragon Talisman. She then plucked up the courage to ask him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru didn't speak, but the way he looked at her told her she could carry on.

"Have you ever heard of something called the Dragon Talisman?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"With my father dead, only one daiyoukai can handle it. It is not me."

Asagi looked slightly crestfallen. Ah-Un was carrying Kohaku on his back, and Jaken was looking from Asagi to Ayame, clearly not trusting either of them. Sesshoumaru turned and walked away, his small entourage following. Soon, Asagi and Ayame were alone again. Ayame turned to circle back south, but Asagi seemed unwilling to move. Eventually, she made to catch up with her friend. She scoured the ground, keeping her eyes peeled for any more pieces of the gem, and sure enough, the largest piece they'd seen thus far lay in the snow. Asagi stooped and picked up the large shard, a smile adorning her face.

"Ayame, look at this! This chunk of gem is easily the biggest one we've found so far!"

Ayame turned around, smiling as she beheld the gem piece.

"Well that's fortunate. We must have a decent amount of the gem now."

As the day drew to a close, they happened upon a ransacked village. The scent of wood smoke in the air suggested the settlement had only recently been plundered, perhaps a matter of hours ago. Asagi walked around the empty houses, finally coming upon a coop of chickens that had somehow survived the carnage. Although the birds looked plump and appetising, eight eggs lay in the straw, enough to feed her and Ayame for the night. Ayame gave a sudden yell of surprise, and Asagi ran to where her friend stood. She gaped at what lay in the back of one of the woodsheds.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Inuyasha

Note:_Rinkusu_ is a Japanese word for lynx

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 5**

**The lynx hanyou, Rinkusu**

Asagi knelt down in the wood shavings, looking at the lynx hanyou that was sleeping there. Blood decorated his clothing and fur alike, and one of his eyes was shut by a wound. Asagi moved closer, wanting to ascertain that the hanyou was still alive. Ayame had moved off, looking for supplies. Suddenly the lynx hanyou started awake and snarled, dark red blood dripping from his various wounds.

"You. You are not a youkai."

Asagi looked at the hanyou warily and backed away. He spoke again after sniffing the air.

"You are a hanyou like me, aren't you?"

Asagi nodded. This hanyou bore a broad similarity to humans, but had lynx ears, patches of downy fur on his bare skin, and sharp green eyes. Two eye teeth showed beneath his lips, wickedly sharp and pointed. Slowly the lynx hanyou stirred and tried to get up.

"If you seek the pieces of the gem that shattered some days ago, I warn you, it's not a good idea to use them in battle. I have four, and that's how I ended up in this state. My attacks cut down my foes where they stood, but such power came at a price."

Asagi looked over the lynx hanyou's wounds, and knew the cost of using so many gem shards was his defensive capability.

"What's your name?"

"Rinkusu."

"I'm Asagi, I came from Horai Island. Can I see your gem fragments? I'm trying to reassemble the Protection Gem to get to the Dragon Talisman."

Rinkusu wordlessly passed four green gem pieces over to her. Asagi opened her pack and put them in with the three others she had. Rinkusu looked at Ryuuzatsume, curiosity on his face.

"Can I look at your sword?"

Asagi looked Rinkusu over, and then unsheathed the dragon claw blade and passed it to her new friend. Rinkusu looked over the sword, examining where the blade met the hilt. He then sniffed the blade, mild amusement written on his feline features.

"Have you ever used a peculiar attack with this blade?"

Asagi had been digging through her pack, looking for food. She turned and looked at Rinkusu.

"Well, I once used a gem piece to make a crescent-shaped attack. Also I once unleashed a torrent of water on a band of raiders."

Rinkusu smiled.

"I thought I could smell pure water on your blade. But it seems that you didn't do it intentionally."

Asagi shook her head. Rinkusu struck her as very perceptive.

"No, I could just smell water everywhere and the sword turned blue. I then just swung it and unleashed the attack."

Ayame suddenly turned up, and stood in the doorway. Rinkusu snarled at the sight of the wolf youkai, but Asagi reassured him.

"Rinkusu, this is my friend Ayame. She's helping me gather the gem pieces. Ayame, this is Rinkusu."

Ayame looked over Rinkusu.

"You're a lynx youkai aren't you?"

Rinkusu gave a slight smile.

"If I was a youkai I would have healed by now. I still need another day to recover from using so many of those gem shards."

Asagi looked at Rinkusu. Although she'd grown up with hanyou children, she'd never seen a hanyou outside of Horai Island apart from Inuyasha.

"Was your mother or father a youkai?"

"My mother was a youkai. I don't know if she's still alive or not. I know my father is, but I don't want to meet him. He deeply regretted loving my mother when he found out she was a youkai. It's because of him I can't run so well."

Rinkusu's eyes darkened as he pulled back his dark dragon skin leggings, revealing a deep gash on his right leg. Asagi looked horrified. Rinkusu then covered the scar up again and picked up a long halberd that had been hidden by the sawdust.

"My mother crafted this for me before I left my home. It's pretty useful, provided no-one gets the jump on me."

Seeing that Asagi and Ayame were friendly, Rinkusu began to tell them more about himself. Generally a placid hanyou, he was more interested in avoiding conflicts than he was with fighting. Owing to the cuts on his leg, he couldn't run well, but he was unmatched when it came to tree climbing. He could sense gem shards almost as well as Asagi could, but had no intention of gathering them for himself after what had happened. His father had attempted to kill him several times, and had already stabbed his pregnant mother, causing his younger sister to be born deformed. Rinkusu looked away, feeling tears burn his eyes as he lay down again. Asagi got up.

"Would you like to come with me and Ayame, Rinkusu?"

The lynx hanyou scratched his shoulder, looking weary and morose.

"I'm not much of a fighter to be honest, Asagi. And I'll need another day to recover. But if you're willing to wait, I'll come with you. I know of a few youkai with the gem shards."

Asagi smiled and ruffled his tawny hair. Rinkusu gave a weary smile in response and lay back to rest. Asagi walked out of the small woodshed and went back to the chicken coop, gathering the eggs inside. She hummed to herself as she made a fire, and began to look around in the plundered village for any cooking pots. After a while, she found one and began to cook the eggs. Although eggs weren't her favourite food, she had little choice, so accepted what there was. Ayame had gone in search of more food, but just as Asagi looked up, a sharp pain in her back knocked her down. She got up, her eyes streaming tears as she felt the arrow in her back. The monks she'd encountered six weeks ago were stood on the other side of the village, bows loaded and ready. Trying her best to ignore the pain, she staggered to her feet, drawing Ryuuzatsume. One of the monks laughed at her mockingly.

"We're going to kill you now for destroying this village. Perish, youkai!"

The monks fired a volley of arrows, which only missed her narrowly. Asagi gritted her teeth as the monks took out strings of prayer beads, which pulsed with some kind of holy energy. A desire to live such as she'd never known coursed through her blood, and to her amazement, Ryuuzatsume glowed green. She raised the dragon claw blade and swung it. Shards of emerald showered her foes, tearing two of them to pieces before her eyes. The other two were more fortunate. When the attack had finished, the blade had resumed its' russet hue. The two surviving monks left in a great hurry. Asagi sheathed her sword, already feeling her blood drip down her back. Seemingly from nowhere, Ayame returned, carrying a brace of pheasant in one hand and her katana in the other. She looked at Asagi and gasped in astonishment.

"Asagi-chan, what happened? You're covered in blood!"

Asagi gave a wry smile as she collapsed in the snow.

"Monks…appeared and…tried to…kill me."

Ayame dumped the dead birds and approached her friend. She gingerly removed the arrow, Asagi wincing as the metal arrowhead left her flesh. Ayame then went to find something to staunch the blood flow, and came back with cloth she'd found in one of the ruins. Ayame stopped the cut bleeding so badly, and helped Asagi into the ruined hut they were using for the time. Asagi managed to get to the pallet in the corner before she collapsed and fell asleep.

It was night by the time Asagi awoke. Rinkusu had entered the hut and was sleeping soundly. Ayame was also asleep, Asagi's bag on her back. Asagi got up, pleasantly surprised to find her back had healed nicely. She got up slowly and walked outside. It was painfully cold, the sky devoid of clouds. Asagi shivered in the bitter cold, and decided to go back into the warmth. She threw some dead wood on the fire, and then noticed a fire-blackened pot near the fire. Inside were three eggs that had been hard boiled. She broke the shells and quietly ate the eggs, thinking hard on where to go. So far they had seven shards, eight counting the one Hanone had. The Protection Gem had shattered into at least sixty pieces, and there was no telling how many youkai had fragments. As she curled up by the fire, a loud flapping noise came to her ears. She looked out of the doorway curiously, surprised to see a large youkai duck landing. On the back of the bird rode Hanone, carrying a bright yellow talisman.

"Ah, Asagi. You've been gone for days. How many pieces of the gem have you found?"

"Seven. Eight, counting the one you have."

Hanone nodded, scratching his head.

"I've found out that at least forty fragments are in the hands of youkai, and another dozen held by humans. You have eight, and about ten more are scattered over the land."

Asagi rubbed her pointed ears, looking curiously at the old sword smith.

"How do you know how many pieces there are?"

Hanone passed her the yellow talisman wound on a length of silver and red chain.

"This pulses with an aura that tells me how many shards there are. It seems there's about seventy of them."

"What do I do when the gem is reassembled?"

Hanone showed her a claw-like appendage on the bottom of the talisman.

"Put it in here, it'll take you to where the Dragon Talisman lies. But beneath the first lock is a second, then the third. Only when you've unlocked them all will you find the Dragon Talisman. But don't touch it, no matter what."

Asagi looped the chain around her neck and looked around.

"What about the shard you have? Where is it?"

Hanone passed her the first shard she'd found. Asagi placed it in the small pouch and then closed her bag. As Hanone walked back to his bizarre method of transport, the yellow talisman began to pulse. Rinkusu walked up, looking at the talisman with great interest.

"It appears there's someone with a gem fragment nearby. Unless it's counting the ones you have, Asagi."

Asagi shook her head. The talisman seemed to glow when she turned to the south.

"There's one to the south. Come on Ayame, Rinkusu."

After several minutes of walking, they came upon a snow-covered field surrounded by forest. Asagi gulped on seeing the youkai with the gem shard. Although no longer than sixteen feet or so, the serpentine dragon looked lethal. She remembered her last encounter with a live dragon, and had it come to combat, she would not have lived. Her hand sought the hilt of her sword, clutching it for reassurement. It turned to look at them, lips peeling off its fangs to snarl. Ayame unsheathed her katana, Rinkusu stood ready with his halberd, and Asagi drew Ryuuzatsume. The dragon gave a deep roar, and spewed a torrent of water at them. Rinkusu managed to dodge, but Asagi and Ayame were engulfed and knocked out cold. The dragon turned to look at Rinkusu, sneering in a mocking manner.

"You will not defeat me, hanyou scum."

Rinkusu's eyes narrowed as he flexed his claws.

"Time will tell."

The dragon charged up another attack, ready to strike Rinkusu down in one shot.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing from anything Inuyasha, I only own Rinkusu

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 6**

**Rinkusu's dark aura! Transformation to youkai**

Rinkusu ran as best he could and rolled away from the dragon's water attack. His legs hurt already, but his adversary seemed absolutely fine. The dragon lashed out with its' tail, knocking Rinkusu back. It bore its' fangs in a malicious grin, mocking the lynx hanyou as he was thrown to the snowy dirt. Unnoticed by either of the combatants, Asagi was slowly coming to. She struggled to get up, her head pounding, but at least she was still holding Ryuuzatsume. Slowly, the scent of water came to her, and the dragon claw sword pulsed once. Ayame still lay unconscious as Asagi got to her feet. Rinkusu was fighting the dragon alone, and was losing badly. He was gashed all over, and a number of dark welts had appeared from where he'd been hit. But even as Asagi made to attack the dragon, something seemed to happen to Rinkusu. His claws lengthened, his muscles went taut and seemed to become more powerful, and his eyes flashed the colour of blood. Asagi's eyes widened in horror.

_Rinkusu's youkai blood must be taking control of his mind!_

The dragon looked at the snarling lynx, unsure about how strong this foe might be. It shot another jet of water right at where Rinkusu stood, and when the steam cleared, there was no sign of the hanyou. The dragon roared in victory, which was abruptly silenced by Rinkusu landing on his neck and ripping into his thick scales. The dragon roared in agony as dark blue blood spurted from the wound.

"You won't survive this, hanyou!"

Rinkusu smiled, enough to send chills down Asagi's spine. She knew enough of Rinkusu to know he was a placid hanyou, despite how lynx could get at times. But this smile was enough to convince her that Rinkusu was enjoying the smell of the hot blood pouring from the dragon's wound. Even as she watched, Rinkusu slashed the dragon again, opening an even deeper gash. Blood sprayed out, staining the pure white snow. The dragon roared in agony, writhing to free itself of the snarling, bloodthirsty hanyou. Rinkusu climbed the squirming dragon and sank his sharp fangs into the youkai's jugular. Asagi gasped in horror as the lynx hanyou gave in to the bloodlust, but suddenly, his eyes turned from dark red to their normal, placid hue. The dragon gave a death roar and toppled to the ground. Rinkusu leapt off the dragon's corpse, looking horrified. He stared at his bloodied claws, disbelief written on his face. He walked to where a stream lay frozen in the ground, balled his hands into fists, and began to punch the ice in an attempt to break it. Asagi ran up to where the lynx hanyou was shattering the ice, to say nothing of his fists.

"Rinkusu, stop! You're going to hurt yourself."

As she got close to the lynx hanyou, she could see his hands were drenched in both the dragon's blood and his own. Asagi put a hand on Rinkusu's shoulder, only to have him shrug it off.

"Maybe I want to hurt myself Asagi. When I tore up that dragon, it reminded me of…"

Rinkusu trailed off, and dipped his hands into the icy water. Behind them, Ayame had recovered and taken hold of the gem piece lodged in the dragon's gut. Asagi waited, and then knelt down by Rinkusu.

"Why are you so mad? What did you do that causes you such anger, Rinkusu? Please, tell me."

Rinkusu looked up at her with haunted eyes. Asagi looked back at the troubled hanyou, the scent of dragon blood filling her nose as she leant in closer. Rinkusu shook his head.

"I can't tell you now Asagi. I will one day, just, not now, ok?"

Asagi nodded and got up, leaving Rinkusu to his thoughts. Behind them, Ayame approached with Asagi's backpack and the curved gem shard they'd recovered. Asagi silently took it, put it in the bag with the others, and shouldered her pack. A roar sounded from the nearby forest, and no less than eight youkai of varying types emerged, brandishing weapons ranging from katanas to jagged spears and axes. Ayame unsheathed her katana, and Asagi took hold of Ryuuzatsume. The youkai charged at them, staggering towards them. Asagi slashed with her crimson blade, hacking through the youkai as if they were made of grass. Ayame finished off three of their attackers as Asagi used a cyan slash technique to defeat the others. In a short time, the youkai were slain. Rinkusu walked up, looking shaken still, holding his halberd.

"Did they have anything of value? Any gem shards or that yellow metal humans love so much?"

Asagi searched the dead youkai, and lifted up a dirty yellow bar of gold.

"Well, this ought to pay for a good feed somewhere. We'll just have to try and pass as human if we don't want to spend a night in the cold."

Later on, as they walked through a warm patch in the forest, Asagi suddenly paused and sniffed the air, looking around; much like Inuyasha would if he was puzzled by a scent. Frowning in bewilderment, she turned to her two companions.

"Can either of you smell water?"

Ayame shook her head, but Rinkusu was looking at a firefly that was buzzing around near them. Asagi gasped and ran to one of the guardian spirits from Horai.

"You came back!"

The small green light floated closer to Asagi as Rinkusu and Ayame watched in awe.

_Asagi-chan, you've been so brave and learnt to be as powerful as Inuyasha did. Already you are close to unlocking the technique 'Kaze no Mizu', the waterspout._

Asagi wiped her eyes, which were streaming tears.

"I miss you all. Ai, Roku, Dai, Moegi and Shion, they're all at the village where Inuyasha lives. I should be there with them."

_No, you're perfect for this task Asagi. Don't hesitate, keep moving ahead. You've done good things here. When all is settled, go where you wish._

Asagi sniffed and nodded mutely. Abruptly the firefly began to fade. She gasped and reached for it.

"Wait!"

Even as she reached for it, the light went out. Asagi burst into tears. Rinkusu looked at Ayame.

"Could you leave me with her for a while please? We'll catch up in a moment or two."

Ayame nodded and walked off a way, giving them their space. Rinkusu knelt down in the snow, and without warning, embraced Asagi. She gasped, not expecting such tenderness and warmth from the lynx hanyou. For a while neither of them spoke, but slowly, Asagi wrapped her arms around Rinkusu and hugged him back. She leant closer and whispered her thanks to her friend. Rinkusu flushed red as he gently let her go. Asagi smiled at him warmly.

"Thank you Rinkusu. I feel much better thanks to you."

The lynx hanyou smiled back at her. He got up and held his hand out to Asagi. Asagi blushed as she took his hand and got to her feet. Both hanyou walked quietly to where Ayame was waiting. When they reached their lupine companion, Asagi took the bag and emptied the gem shards into her hand. After pressing them all together, the fragments flew out and formed parts of the shattered orb. Two of the fragments joined, but the other pieces remained separate. Ayame took the gem shards and replaced them in Asagi's bag, and then turned to Rinkusu.

"You said you know of youkai with gem pieces, Rinkusu?"

Rinkusu nodded.

"A bear youkai has two of them, and lives not too far from here. But we'd need to master very powerful attacks to get that particular youkai. Having the gem shards has only made him stronger, seemingly without a cost to his defence."

Asagi shrugged.

"We'll need to face him sooner or later, and if we waste time he may get stronger. Can you show us where he lives?"

Rinkusu washed his hands in the stream, cleaning them of the blood.

"I'll show you tomorrow Asagi, right now I'm tired and I don't want to shed any more blood today."

Asagi nodded. Ayame came up to the two hanyou, looking out of breath.

"I've found a cave we can sleep in for tonight. It seems unoccupied; I couldn't scent anything near it."

Rinkusu got to his feet slowly. The energy he'd expended in his berserk youkai rage had left him drained and weary. Asagi took his arm to steady him as he swayed, but even when he kept his balance, she still held onto him. The lynx hanyou smiled at her, wondering whether she was holding him to keep him steady, or if there was some deeper reason for them holding hands.

"Inuyasha-niichan!"

Inuyasha turned around just in time to see Ai running at him, clearly having awoken from the long sleep she'd put herself in. He knew that no matter what he did, she'd jump up and hug him, since she was very affectionate towards him since he'd helped rescue her companions. He gave a weary smile as Ai jumped on him, intent on snuggling up to the canine hanyou.

"Did you sleep well, Ai?"

Ai smiled as she looked up at Inuyasha.

"Yes, Ai slept very well. Sango-sama and Miroku-sama were fighting when Ai came to find Inuyasha-niichan."

"Keh. That never gets old."

Inuyasha prised the little one off him and sat down in the snow. Ai stayed on her feet, smiling happily at Inuyasha. Shippo appeared on the scene, clearly not wanting to irritate Inuyasha. Ai looked at Shippo, turning her smile on the young kitsune. Shippo blushed, and produced a bunch of flowers for her, offering them to the small hanyou. Ai gave a giggle and took them, her smile making Shippo blush still further.

"Thank you Shippo-chan!"

Shippo looked nervous, and began to fidget and trip over his words.

"I-I-I thought y-y-you might like them, Ai."

Ai walked up to Shippo and kissed him on the cheek. Shippo looked more flustered than ever, turning bright red. Inuyasha watched with mild amusement at the kitsune's embarrassment as he tried to put into words how he felt about Ai. He turned to look back at the empty fields, now lying dead until springtime came. Shion, Dai and Roku were playing with some of the village children, who had accepted the orphaned hanyou as if they were full humans. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed in mild resentment, but refrained from commenting on how he felt. He sniffed the air, drawing Tessaiga suddenly.

"Shippo, take Ai back into the village. There's a youkai coming this way."

As Shippo took Ai's hand and led her back to the village, Tessaiga turned to its' diamond form. A deformed, snarling youkai appeared out of the trees. Inuyasha got ready to fight as the youkai spoke.

"Hand over the vermin hanyou!"

Inuyasha looked puzzled.

"Vermin hanyou?"

"Name of Asagi, part mouse youkai."

Inuyasha snorted in contempt.

"Keh! As if I'll let you touch those hanyou kids."

The youkai sneered at him.

"Move aside."

"Eat this! Kongousouha!"

Diamond spears erupted from the blade, slaying the youkai on the spot. Inuyasha sheathed Tessaiga, walking off to the village.

Asagi looked around the cave Ayame had found, still holding Rinkusu's hand. It was fairly small, but easily big enough to allow them to sleep there. It was dark, but all of them had good night vision. Ayame walked out the cave, presumably to collect sleeping materials or wood for a fire. Rinkusu looked at Asagi, uncomfortably aware of them being alone together. Asagi turned to look up at Rinkusu, and smiled softly at him.

"Do you feel better now?"

Rinkusu nodded slowly. Asagi leaned in to look closer at Rinkusu, not noticing the way the lynx hanyou was turning scarlet. She reached up and pushed up his eyelid, eyeing him carefully. Rinkusu decided to seize the initiative, and pulled Asagi into a hug. Asagi gave a surprised squeak, enough to make Rinkusu let go of her.

"Did you just squeak, Asagi?"

Asagi looked embarrassed.

"Well, yes I did. I'm a mouse hanyou, see."

Rinkusu looked her over. Unless he'd heard it from Asagi herself, he'd have never imagined she was a mouse hanyou, as she displayed no mouse-like characteristics. Asagi gave a timid smile.

"It's not what you'd expect is it?"

Rinkusu shook his head.

"No, I never imagined what kind of hanyou you might be. Have you met many other hanyou?"

Asagi told Rinkusu of Horai Island, where youkai and humans had lived alongside one another and often interbred, producing many hanyou children. A fountain of youth had been responsible for slowing their growth; Asagi herself was the oldest survivor at over five hundred. Rinkusu looked amazed. Asagi suddenly looked weary, and began to doze off, snuggled up to Rinkusu. The male hanyou looked very awkward, and made to put his arm around Asagi when Ayame returned, carrying a pair of dead rabbits. She looked at Rinkusu and Asagi, but refrained from saying anything. She rummaged through the bag, seemingly remembering what Rinkusu had said about not wanting to smell blood again that day, and finally found some bread and cheese.

"Rinkusu, here, eat this if you don't want any meat tonight."

Rinkusu silently accepted the food. As he ate, his thoughts wandered to the weapon his mother had given him, and the cryptic message she'd left before she'd told him to flee.

_Master the most important ability of your mind, Rinkusu, and you can use the halberd properly._

He got up, leaving Asagi to curl up by herself, and picked up his weapon. It was designed to attack mostly, since defence with such a long weapon was nigh on impossible. He ran his hand over the pine pole, thinking hard. Ayame looked over at him, clearly puzzled, but not willing to interrupt. Then things happened very fast. A deafening roar sounded from outside the cave, the blade of the halberd seemed to shine, and a dark form appeared in the entrance.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I only own Rinkusu and Hanone. The rest belong to Rumiko Takahashi

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 7**

**Ambush in the night!**

Asagi got up quickly, Ryuuzatsume in her hand. Rinkusu and Ayame leapt up as a bear youkai, two glowing green spots showing where gem fragments were embedded, appeared in the cave opening. It roared deafeningly and lunged for Ayame. The female wolf youkai was knocked into the rocky wall, the blow enough to knock her out. Rinkusu thrust with his halberd, catching the bear youkai in the jaw. Snarling, the bear came for the two hanyou. Asagi gripped Ryuuzatsume as if it were her lifeline, preparing to try and use one of her two stronger attacks. She gasped as Rinkusu jabbed at the bear repeatedly, enough to keep the larger youkai frustrated and at bay. She watched, puzzled, as the whitish metal of the blade turned crimson from the infuriated youkai's blood. Rinkusu was slowly, but surely, driving the youkai back. With a skill she hadn't seen before, the bear youkai was forced out of the cave and into the forest. Rinkusu gritted his teeth as he kept up his attack, forcing the bear to back away. Admittedly, he was keeping the bear back, but something seemed strange. Sudden realisation struck him. Despite the effects the gem pieces had had on him and Asagi, they had never seen a full-blooded youkai actually use them for physical attacks. The dragon he'd killed hadn't had the time to go for physical attacks, he had just torn it apart. Asagi rushed out of the cave, Ryuuzatsume in hand. Rinkusu glanced back, but in doing so, lost concentration and gave the bear youkai a momentary advantage.

An advantage it didn't hesitate to use.

Rinkusu was knocked back by a powerful blow from the bear's foreleg. Asagi gasped, and faced the bear herself as it reared onto its' hind legs, roaring its' triumph. She knew that fighting it with the dragon claw blade wouldn't be enough; its' gem shards gave it a huge advantage. She brightened slightly as she remembered that the bear youkai wasn't the only one in this forest to possess pieces of the Protection Gem, but hers were back in the cave, and she knew the youkai wouldn't hang aroung or give her the chance to seize her gem shards. Asagi bit her lip and charged at the roaring bear, taking note of where the two shards in its body were. One was embedded in its side, the other was higher up, in its back. Asagi swung the sword, but the bear caught it and held her off. Sneering, it spoke in a deep voice.

"Your powers are weak, hanyou. That sword is more powerful than you could ever be."

Asagi broke the lock and didn't respond, except to try and aim for the shard in its' back. The bear easily blocked her slash, knocking Asagi off balance and making her land awkwardly in the snow. Gritting her teeth, she tried again, but met with no success. The bear seemed confident of being able to beat Asagi, and aimed a swipe at her as she landed from another failed attack. Asagi ducked it, then ran forward, slicing through the bear's thick fur. Realisation along with pain dawned on the bear as it realised she hadn't been aiming for the fragment it its back at all. It had all been a ploy so she could launch a surprise attack and cut the other shard out. Asagi grinned as she scooped up the bloodied gem fragment.

"Now we'll see who's weak."

The bear roared in fury and tried to crush the agile hanyou. Asagi flipped to the side like an acrobat, landed some thirty feet from the bear youkai, and placed the gem fragment on the crimson blade of her sword. Almost immediately, the blade turned cyan, and the scent of pure water engulfed her sensitive nose. She smiled as the bear lumbered towards her.

"You had your fun, now I have mine. Kaze no Mizu!"

A tornado of water erupted from the blade and engulfed the bear. After a few seconds the attack subsided, but the bear was still alive. It struggled to rise, its' breath coming in long gasps. Asagi removed the gem fragment from Ryuuzatsume, the blade returning to its' dull crimson shade. As she made to finish off the youkai, a thin but powerful jet of fire leapt forth and incinerated the bear. She looked to see Rinkusu standing up, somewhat shaky on his feet. His halberd was smoking slightly, and he seemed out of breath.

"Rinkusu? Your halberd can spew fire?"

Rinkusu smiled weakly.

"Not much. I have to be in a life or death situation or in the right frame of mind to use that ability. I'm not sure I was in danger of dying, but I knew what had to be done."

Asagi sheathed the dragon sword, and went to recover the second fragment in the dirt.

"What frame of mind do you need to be in to unlock your halberd's fire?"

Rinkusu got up, and blew out a long breath.

"To be honest, I don't know. But I know I can't use my halberd when I'm possessed by my youkai blood. When I am, I just use my claws and fangs."

Ayame walked out of the cave, rubbing a sore spot on her head. She looked at the two hanyou, and then at the bear's remains.

"Well, sorry you two, but I'm going to head to my pack's new home for a while. I need to see how they're doing."

Asagi nodded.

"I hope everything's gone well for them Ayame. Will you be able to track us when we leave?"

Ayame smiled confidently.

"Try stopping me."

The wolf youkai took off, leaving Rinkusu alone with Asagi. Rinkusu got up and walked into the cave, and emerged moments later carrying Asagi's backpack, which he passed to the female hanyou. Asagi reached into the bag, took the pouch out that had the other gem fragments in, and tipped the two new ones in. Just as she replaced the pouch and shouldered the bag, a loud roar sounded deep in the forest. Rinkusu looked worried.

"I've heard that sound before. And I've met the daiyoukai behind it."

Asagi looked at him, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"What exactly is a daiyoukai? Only normal youkai lived on Horai Island."

Rinkusu shifted the pack on his shoulders.

"A daiyoukai is simply a great youkai, one with far more power than a normal youkai could ever obtain. They're generally born to daiyoukai parents, but I have heard of daiyoukai being born to normal youkai. They can shape shift to a human form more convincing than ours. Sesshoumaru was one."

Asagi nodded slowly as she started walking.

"So who was that daiyoukai then?"

Rinkusu paled as the daiyoukai roared again.

"That's Ryuu No Taishou. He's a dragon daiyoukai. He generally doesn't bother the youkai and human populations, but lately he's been more active than usual. He could be seeking the gem fragments, although I don't see why he'd be doing that. He has enough power to overwhelm the last dragon daiyoukai that ruled the North. That was over two hundred years ago, his name was Ryuukotsusei."

Asagi shrugged as they walked out of the forest and onto a broad plain.

"Well, if we're fortunate, Ryuu No Taishou will ignore us."

"Ryuu No Taishou?"

Asagi and Rinkusu looked up. Stood before them was Sesshoumaru, unaccompanied for a change. The canine daiyoukai looked at Rinkusu in a scathing manner, but said nothing. He turned to look at Asagi.

"Who is this Ryuu No Taishou you mentioned?"

Asagi looked nervous at the thought of even staying in the Western Lord's presence, but told Sesshoumaru all Rinkusu had said about the dragon. Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod and vanished without a word. Rinkusu looked at where he'd stood.

"You know him?"

Hitching the pack higher up her back, Asagi explained all she could about Inuyasha's powerful half-brother. The sun was only just rising, but the temperatures that would feel freezing to a human were only slightly cold for the two hanyou. The sky was clear, and small birds began to sing. Patches of snow had vanished in some areas, leaving exposed early greenery. Rabbits grazed on the grass, and high overhead, a lone falcon soared, trying to find its' next meal. As the day progressed, neither of them spoke until Rinkusu stopped near a copse of trees at noon, breathing heavily. Asagi looked at him, puzzled by his exhaustion.

"Come on Rinkusu, surely you can't be tired already? We've only covered a few miles today."

The lynx hanyou didn't answer. Asagi went up to him, and realisation suddenly struck her as his scent began to change.

"Oh, today's the first quarter of the moon!"

Rinkusu nodded as he changed to the appearance of a boy aged about fourteen, with shaggy brown hair and green eyes. In a matter of minutes, his lynx ears had vanished, and no hint of fur could be seen. Asagi smiled.

"So do you change back when the moon sets tonight?"

Again, Rinkusu nodded. Asagi reached out, took his hand and lead him on, not seeing the male hanyou blush. Although she could keep going long after Rinkusu had worn out, she couldn't easily carry him, and did not want to leave him behind when he couldn't fight. Already, Rinkusu looked exhausted, so she did her best to find a resting place for him. After a long search, she managed to get him to walk with her towards a woodshed, similar to the one she'd found him in. He lay down with a deep sigh as Asagi emptied her bag and used her blanket to cover him. Rinkusu smiled wearily up at her. Five minutes later he was sound asleep. Asagi sighed and got up, walking out into the crisp afternoon air. Although leaving Rinkusu alone wasn't something she wanted to do, she decided to find a village and barter for simple foods like bread and cheese. Despite filling up their pack as often as opportunity dictated, Ayame alone had a voracious appetite, and Rinkusu never held back on a meal. She breathed in deeply, preparing to go and find a village or farm, when she unintentionally caught the scent of another human nearby. She decided to stay back, in case the human got close enough to see her pointed ears and recognise her as a hanyou. Also, she had Rinkusu to worry about. Her yellow eyes fixed on the path not far away as the person came into view.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I only own Rinkusu and Hanone. Makoto Aoyama belongs to Ausir; everyone else is property of Rumiko Takahashi.

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 8**

**The stranger from the south, Makoto**

Asagi watched as the stranger came into view. He looked to be in his late teens, and held a long staff embedded with strange stones and runes. He wore a dark red kimono and a tall dark hat, fairly typical for men from the southern part of Honshu. He looked up suddenly, as if he could sense Asagi looking at him, and frowned, seeming to have trouble bringing her into view. Asagi felt her talisman throb; clearly this stranger had a gem fragment or two in his possession. She looked back at him, but already he'd started running towards her. Asagi ground her teeth as she made to draw Ryuuzatsume, but the man made a peculiar gesture, clutching some sort of scroll in his right hand, and suddenly, the muscles in her arm went limp. She gasped in shock, but acted fast and drew the heavy sword with her left hand. The stranger mumbled an incantation, and Asagi was knocked down into the cold snow. As her adversary got closer, she swept his feet from under him and used her sword to help her get up. The stranger got up again quite quickly, but mistook a nearby rowan tree for Asagi. Asagi watched in bewilderment as he tried to cast spells on the tree, shaking her head in amusement as the man set it on fire. She sheathed the sword and walked towards him, smiling at his clumsiness.

"Look, I'm not out to pillage farms or raid towns. I'm just a hanyou with a quest."

The man whirled around to face her, holding his staff ready. He relaxed as he beheld Asagi in her youkai slayer outfit.

"You're a hanyou? You look like a human to me, with that red hair."

Asagi narrowed her eyes.

"Red hair?"

"Yes, you have red hair, didn't you know?"

Asagi wasn't one to lose her temper easily, and could tell this person was short-sighted. However, she was also not one to let insults go unheeded, and promptly slapped the man.

"My hair is NOT red. Do you understand? NOT red, it's dark green."

The man looked up at the irritated mouse hanyou, frowning in confusion as he got up and looked closer.

"Oh, so it is. Poor eyesight, you know."

Asagi sighed and turned towards the woodshed Rinkusu was sleeping in.

"And that's not even mentioning your style of clothing. You're a hanyou, but you're dressed as a youkai slayer?"

Asagi shot the youth a dirty look, but said nothing as she walked to where her friend was. The youth reached into his robe and produced two gem fragments.

"Do you know anything about these? I found them a few days ago."

Slowly, Asagi turned. The two gem fragments shone in the youth's hand. She reached out to take them, and the youth passed them to her silently. After scrutinising the green shards for a few minutes, she looked up.

"What's your name? How did you come by these shards?"

"My name is Makoto Aoyama; I'm a traveller and priest of sorts. I found one of the shards lodged in a tree and the other was in the bed of a stream. A couple of youkai have tried to take them from me, but my shikigami were able to handle them."

Makoto shifted in the snowy ground. On his back he carried a very large pack, much bigger than the one Asagi and Rinkusu took turns to hold. A brass telescope was strapped to the bag, along with a string of polished beads resembling a rosary. Asagi looked at him, her pale yellow eyes furrowed as she considered whether or not to trust him. Whether he was trustworthy or not, she decided against showing him Rinkusu in his human form for the time being. Makoto looked at the woodshed, frowning.

"I can feel a youkai aura in there. Faint, but it is definitely there."

Asagi looked nervous, but promptly turned the human away from the woodshed.

"Well, I can't smell anything in there, and my nose is a lot better than yours."

Makoto looked back at the woodshed, but made no effort to go towards there. He sat down on a tree stump and began to set up his telescope, drawing Asagi's attention. The female hanyou touched the brass casing, looking over the instrument curiously.

"What are you going to use a telescope for? Surely you can't see a star during the day?"

Makoto shook his head.

"No, I just need to get something out of my bag. Look at my telescope if you want to, but don't touch it."

Asagi studied the brass telescope, having rarely seen an instrument like it in her time on the mainland. She had witnessed a partial solar eclipse in the autumn whilst heading north, but hadn't seen the full eclipse itself. As she looked up from Makoto's telescope, a low roar sounded from in the bushes nearby. A dark green ogre emerged, holding a club of bone. Asagi drew Ryuuzatsume quickly, but in unsheathing the sword so fast, she lost her grip on it and the red blade flew into the undergrowth. The ogre sneered at her as it stomped closer.

"Hanyou, give me those gem shards and I'll make your death painless!"

Asagi scowled. Without Ryuuzatsume, she had no natural weapons to fight with. Inuyasha was a canine hanyou, and had claws and fangs of superb strength, to say nothing of his fire-rat robe, which had indirectly saved her in Horai Island's Meidou no Kama. Her only natural gift was speed. Makoto stood up, an ofuda scroll in his hand. With a deft flick of his wrist, he threw the scroll onto the ogre, enough to distract the ogre from Asagi. She quickly ran into the undergrowth and soon found Ryuuzatsume, which transformed to its' wavy-edged form when she lifted it up. She ran and slashed at the ogre, who was battling with Makoto, and was astonished when the sword didn't cleave the ogre's back open. A short, dark furrow showed where she'd struck the youkai, but nothing else. The ogre snarled and swung at Asagi with its club, only narrowly missing the hanyou. Asagi leapt aside, landing on a tree branch, breathing heavily. The ogre turned to face her, when something ran through Ryuuzatsume, causing Asagi to look at her sword in bewilderment. A distinct pulse ran through the dragon claw blade, both alien to her and familiar at the same time, and suddenly, the blade turned deep blue. The scent of water came to her, but as soon as it had come, it had gone, and the blade reverted back to the colour of blood. Asagi decided to gamble with the Protection Gem fragments, and gripped the two Makoto had given her. She leapt off the branch and swung the sword down, sending a crescent of energy at the ogre, which quickly shredded her opponent. She sheathed the sword and walked towards the woodshed Rinkusu was sleeping in. Makoto blew out a long breath and pulled some food out of his pack. Asagi stopped in her tracks as a particular scent wafted to her nose, and she turned around, barely able to believe it. Makoto set a wedge of cheese wrapped in paper down on the ground, and then pulled out a dried salmon steak. The temptation was too much for Asagi, and she grabbed the wedge of cheese. Makoto looked up at her, looking amused.

"Well if you want that cheese, Asagi, you can have it. Just let me slice a bit off first."

Makoto cut a corner off the wedge of cheese, and began to build a fire. Asagi looked at the lump of cheese in her hands, and then looked back at Makoto.

"I can have this? All of it?"

Makoto nodded, and was promptly flattened as Asagi threw herself on top of him, hugging him in thanks. Tears ran from her pale yellow eyes as she thanked him for giving her the cheese. Makoto began to light a fire to heat his food, and Asagi tore into the hunk of cheese, showing a total lack of manners as she did so. After feeding herself, she got up and brushed down the front of her youkai slayer outfit. Makoto looked up at her as he laid the fish on a flat rock.

"Where are you going, Asagi?"

Asagi gestured towards the south-east.

"I can smell hot water, there might be a spring there I can bathe in."

Makoto shook his head.

"No, I mean what's this quest you speak of. And just what are these gem fragments you seek?"

Asagi sat back down, deciding to tell Makoto what she knew. She began to explain about the Protection Gem, and how she had to find, but not acquire, the Dragon Talisman. She also told him of Horai Island, and how Inuyasha and his friends had shown up and defeated the Four War Gods. Makoto listened intently. When she finished talking, he nodded slowly.

"Yes, I've heard of this monk Miroku. Something of a con-artist, if half the rumours are true. I must admit, I haven't heard of Inuyasha or his half-brother."

Asagi gave a startled squeak.

"You haven't heard of Sesshoumaru?"

A cold voice sounded from behind the fire.

"Whether some human knows of me or not is of little concern."

Sesshoumaru walked up to the fire, seemingly not affected by the cold. Makoto readied one of his scrolls, but Sesshoumaru paid him no mind. He turned to Asagi.

"You have gem fragments don't you?"

Asagi nodded silently. Sesshoumaru held a hand out.

"You have a powerful blade, but that alone is no guarantee you will succeed. Give me one of the shards. If you should fail, all will not be lost."

Asagi hesitated, thinking over Sesshoumaru's request. It certainly wouldn't help if Sesshoumaru had even one shard of the green gem, but if she had her shards stolen and Sesshoumaru kept his, then the seal over the Dragon Talisman would remain. However, she'd have to find the daiyoukai before opening the seal over the talisman. Finally, she took the largest of the fragments she had and passed it to Sesshoumaru, deciding to gamble with another possessing the gem shards. The daiyoukai nodded silently.

"Clearly, not all hanyou are as dim-witted as my brother."

Without saying anything further, Sesshoumaru turned and left. Makoto watched the canine daiyoukai leave, and then turned to Asagi.

"Why did you give up one of those gem pieces to him? It could take forever to find him again!"

Asagi shrugged as she packed the rest of the fragments in her bag and ran a hand through her hair.

"Sesshoumaru won't use that shard I gave him for himself. Inuyasha told me that he flat out refused to use any shards of the Shikon no Tama, and he only took Kohaku in to protect the last one himself."

Makoto nodded slowly.

"But you do realise we'll have to find him to get that one piece back?"

Asagi raised an eyebrow.

"'We'?"

"Well yes, I'm coming with you. I may be able to help you, since you have no others with you."

Asagi fidgeted, clearly hoping this point wouldn't arise.

"I have a wolf youkai who's going to be tracking me when she's set up her den. Also, I'm travelling with…"

A loud roar made her stop in mid-speech, her hand flying to the hilt of Ryuuzatsume. It wasn't like the bellowing roar of Ryuu No Taisho, but it was eerie nonetheless. Makoto frowned slightly as he looked around, but neither of them could see anything. Slowly, Asagi relaxed. Makoto ventured a question.

"If that Sesshoumaru was a daiyoukai, perhaps it could be him? You know, in his true form?"

Asagi shrugged as she got up.

"I don't know if he has a true form. Anyway, I'm going for a bath, once I find that hot spring. Peep on me and you're dead!"

Makoto held up his hands in a placating manner.

"Easy Asagi, I'm not Miroku."

Asagi turned and walked into the snowy woodlands, trying to find the source of the steam that wafted on the breeze. After some ten minutes, she found the hot spring, and smiled in satisfaction. The pool was easily big enough to hold a dozen people, and would be perfect for a relaxing bath for one lonely mouse hanyou. She began to strip off her youkai slayer outfit and everything else she wore, and gingerly lowered herself into the warm water. Once in, she sighed in delight. The water was lovely and warm, not too hot or too cold, and she submerged herself in the water to begin cleaning her hair. After bathing for several minutes, she climbed out and dressed herself again, ignoring the chilly bite of the wind on her skin. As she sheathed her sword through the belt around her waist, a blur of white ran past through the forest, roaring loudly. As fast as it had come, it was gone, but Asagi had caught the youkai's scent. She walked back towards where Makoto was resting, feeling much more refreshed now that she'd had a chance to bathe. Makoto had finished eating by the time Asagi returned, and was taking the opportunity to nap in the waning sunlight. In the clear blue sky, the half moon hung like a silver ornament. Asagi looked at where Rinkusu slept, and began to wonder what life had been like for an unprotected hanyou. He'd mentioned he had a sister, a youkai mother and a human father, but beyond those scanty facts, she knew very little except that his father had tried to kill him and had crippled his younger sibling. She sat down by the dying fire, her mind wandering back to happy times on Horai Island. Nearly everyone she'd grown up with had died, and the only five survivors were in Inuyasha's lands. Almost without realising it, she found her eyes watering as she cried for all she'd lost. She got up and walked into the woodshed, watching Rinkusu sleep. She knelt down and stroked his shaggy brown hair, a smile tugging at her lips as she looked at the sleeping hanyou. Suddenly, Rinkusu woke up, his hand grabbing his halberd before he realised it was Asagi sat beside him. Weakly, the lynx hanyou smiled at her and sat up, looking somewhat dizzy and still very tired. Asagi smiled back and sat back, giving him his space.

"Rinkusu?"

Rinkusu stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at Asagi, his expression inviting her to ask her questions. Asagi took several deep breaths and then spoke.

"I'd like to know more about you. Where you lived, what your family was like, why you left home. Can you tell me?"

Rinkusu stretched and looked up at Asagi.

"You didn't choose an easy set of questions, Asagi."

Asagi looked away timidly. When she spoke, it was in a small voice.

"I just want to know so many things."

Rinkusu began to scratch his lower arm, silent as he thought over Asagi's request. Finally he stopped, and turned to the mouse hanyou.

"Then I'll tell you, everything I can remember about myself…"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I only own Rinkusu, Hanone, Suteneko and Ryuu No Taishou. Makoto Aoyama belongs to the author Ausir. All other characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

Translation: Suteneko translates to 'alley cat'.

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 9**

**Rinkusu's past**

Asagi sat still as Rinkusu began to tell his life story.

"I was born at the height of summer almost twenty years ago, on a day like today; at the height of a half moon. My mother had fallen in love with a human farmer who lived on the far reaches of my tribe's land. Although lynx like us are meat-eaters, we also ate plants. My mother had mated the previous autumn, and my father believed her to be human. For three years I was tended to in my tribe's den, and on the dawn of my fourth year, I ventured out into the world. My tribe live in a very wild and beautiful area to the far north, where the sea meets the land and beckons to the oceans of ice far away. I was the youngest cub in the tribe; four other mothers had given birth to seven other kits earlier in the year I was born. All knew of my mixed blood, and I was both hated and praised for it, because I was as strong as any lynx youkai except, of course, on the day my youkai blood slept. When I was nine years old, my mother came home in the small hours of an autumn morning, and carried the signs of being pregnant again."

Rinkusu stared into empty air, reminiscing about his youth. Asagi waited patiently, not wanting to hurry her companion. Finally Rinkusu resumed his story.

"For months she carried the child, just as she had done with me, and I was very excited at the prospect of a younger sibling. Some of the lynx in my tribe disapproved of her mating _twice_ with a human, but the issue wasn't raised to spite her. When she was six months along, and nearing childbirth, we were attacked by bat youkai from the south. The bats themselves were not hard to fight, but they enlisted the help of six smaller dragon youkai. My tribe won, but at heavy cost. Wounded, my mother staggered back from visiting her lover and gave me my halberd, telling me what it could do. I was confused, but I knew enough to accept her gift and do what I could with it. One night, as spring approached, my mother left the tribe's lair to give birth with her lover. Something seemed wrong that night, but I decided against following her. During her stay, she was stabbed through the chest, probably on her lover discovering she was a youkai, and my unborn sister was crucially hurt, but not fatally so. When I scented her blood on the wind, I ran for the farm and angrily engaged my father. I lost and was scarred on my legs in the fight, but in fighting, my mother escaped. She gave birth to twin youngsters, but one of them was stillborn. My sister, Suteneko, survived, and is still alive today, as are my parents."

Rinkusu lay back in the debris in the woodshed, finishing his narrative. Asagi waited to hear if there was more, and just when she decided there was no more, Rinkusu spoke again.

"A few months ago I left home to see more of the world, and also to seek a way to help heal my sister of the deformities she has. Before it broke, I'd heard of the Protection Gem as a legend, not an actual item. When I saw it shatter, I decided to try and claim the pieces. One of the ones I found was in a bird's nest, right at the top of a pine tree, two were in a field, and the last one I saw as a shooting star, falling to land on a rocky slope."

Asagi nodded and moved closer to Rinkusu, something in her compelling her to comfort the feline hanyou. Rinkusu smiled weakly up at her.

"When I left home, I was actually looking for Horai Island. Youkai and humans alike despise hanyou."

Asagi let Rinkusu lay his head in her lap, a slight blush coming to her cheeks as her friend drifted off to sleep. She looked around, glad that no-one was there to see them. As Rinkusu slept, Asagi tried to get more comfortable. Rinkusu appeared to prefer sleeping on branches, but she found it very uncomfortable. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep, almost on top of Rinkusu.

Night had fallen by the time Asagi awoke. Rinkusu had regained his youkai blood and left her alone in the woodshed. She got up and flexed her muscles, wondering where her companion had got to, when a stench of burning came to her sensitive nose. Asagi coughed and spluttered as she ran out of the woodshed. Makoto and Rinkusu were stood by the remains of their fire, looking out over the plains. A huge, serpentine dragon was flying low over the smouldering fields, belching sulphurous fire onto the ground below. Asagi silently joined her companions. Makoto was the first to speak.

"We should try to do something to stop that youkai."

Rinkusu, surprisingly, objected with force in his voice.

"I'm not gathering these gem shards to protect people. Asagi and I are gathering them to open the seal over the Dragon Talisman."

Asagi looked between them both, from the hanyou to the human. She shifted slightly, knowing they'd both want her opinion in the matter.

"I don't think letting this one go is a good idea, but we were no match for the last dragon we met, and if this Ryuu No Taishou is in the area, he may take it badly for us attacking a youkai of his species."

Makoto unstrung the beads he carried. Rinkusu eyed the string of beads, snarling. He backed away as the onmyouji raised them up.

"Keep those things away from me!"

Makoto looked at Rinkusu.

"You think these are some kind of youkai slaying beads?"

Rinkusu nodded. Makoto smiled.

"No, I don't use such things. These beads repel youkai, but they're almost ineffective against hanyou like you. I bought these in Osaka, and they helped me protect the two gem shards I picked up."

Asagi looked at the string of blue, purple and dark-green beads. As she got closer, some unseen force repulsed her. She gave a snarl, and backed away from the rosary. Makoto looked at the two hanyou, waiting for them to make up their minds. He looked up, and sighed deeply.

"It seems the decision is beyond us now. That dragon's coming right for us."

The brown skinned dragon roared as it beheld the tiny group. Asagi glanced at her talisman, but it gave no sign that this dragon had any gem shards. Her hand closed on the hilt of Ryuuzatsume as the dragon paused near them. Green flames decorated its' scaly hide in several places.

"You children are no match for me. Leave now, and I might not hunt you down like vermin."

Asagi bristled and drew the red sword, which instantly transformed. Makoto looked worried as his rosary quivered on its own.

"Asagi, be careful, this dragon has an enormous amount of youki. I don't think we can win."

Asagi looked at Makoto in surprise.

"You can feel how strong his youki is?"

Makoto gave a wry smile.

"With an aura this powerful, I'd have to be dead to not feel it. I think this is a daiyoukai."

Rinkusu took hold of his halberd, preparing to fight. Asagi held her crimson sword tight, ready to fight, but wanting to try backing out whilst they could. She called up to the dragon youkai.

"Look, we aren't here to invade your territory or to claim your prey. We just wandered here by mistake. Let us go and we won't return."

The dragon snarled in a peculiar way. It took half a minute for them to recognise it as laughter. Sulphurous fumes wafted down to them as the dragon spoke.

"Such pitiful fools, I would kill you if I was in your territory. I am the son of Ryuukotsusei."

Rinkusu looked alarmed.

"Ryuukotsusei had children?"

The dragon gaped wide enough to swallow a tree, and a yellowish-green orb of sparking energy formed. Asagi crouched down, not seeing the blade of her sword turning blue as the youki from the dragon activated the sword's technique. Rinkusu leapt aside, wincing as the pain from his scars surfaced. Makoto ran out of the dragon's range, leaving Asagi alone against the serpentine youkai. On seeing only Asagi willing to face him, the dragon sneered.

"Such a fool. Yet I cannot deny that you are brave, hanyou. Do what damage you can with that blade of yours. I won't need to use my full strength to kill you."

Asagi ground her teeth, irritated that she'd been abandoned. She leapt up, almost level with the dragon's waist, and slashed with the blade, unintentionally sending a tornado of water at the dragon. As the dragon was flung back, a vision came to her, making her black out. She found herself standing in a rocky gorge, walking along with no sign of her companions. Icy cold wind blew down the gorge, buffeting her and stinging her eyes. Tears stained her face from the sheer cold, and she slowly began to walk forward. As she followed the valley along, she came to a dark cave. She approached the cave opening, her very presence igniting several lanterns of green light. The inside of the cave resembled Hanone's forge without the pool. Stood in the centre of the cave was an anvil stained with blood and decorated with bones. Her sword swung of its' own accord, slicing into the metal of the anvil. A deathly roar sounded, and smoke poured out of the anvil. Squinting through the stinging smoke, she dimly saw a black serpentine dragon rise up, snarl at her, and then Ryuuzatsume pulsed, taking on the colour of obsidian. She felt rage, anger, terror and the lust for blood overwhelm her. She longed to see her blade slice through the bodies of those who stood in her way, to hear their dying screams as the life was torn from them and all they became was nothing, to see their hot blood pour to the ground. She raised the stained dragon claw blade, and yelled as the black dragon emerged from the blade in a precursor to the attack. As the sword swung down, unleashing the apocalyptic attack, a glint of white appeared in the entrance to the cave, and a familiar voice spoke to her.

Asagi spluttered and coughed as a cascade of cold water hit her, waking her up instantly. Makoto gave a smile as she shook herself dry.

"Alright Rinkusu, tomorrow night, YOU do the cooking. Welcome back Asagi."

Asagi looked around, clearly confused. Rinkusu was sat nearby, his halberd by his side, looking mutinous. Clearly, he hadn't thought dumping cold water on Asagi would bring her round. Makoto held a cup, which had just been filled with cold water to awaken her.

"What happened? Where's that dragon?"

Makoto shook his head.

"It left after you hit it with your water attack. You fell unconscious, about two hours ago now, and Rinkusu carried you here."

Asagi struggled to get up, looking at Rinkusu in the firelight. They were camped in a sheltered hollow, but the scent in the air promised snow, and plenty of it, in the remaining hours of the night. After gaining her feet, she walked over to the lynx hanyou. Behind them, Makoto began to make an awning to shelter under in the few hours they had left.

"Rinkusu, you carried me here?"

Rinkusu shrugged, but made no effort to talk. Asagi waited, but Rinkusu said no more. She suddenly realised that he had a cut on his right arm, and that it was bleeding quite badly. She gasped and began to bandage his arm up with the obi from her pale yellow dress, feeling bad he'd been hurt because of her.

"If it hurts, you should have said something! How did you get cut so badly?"

Rinkusu glanced up at her.

"I held your sword wrong and it slipped out of my hand, when I went to grab it, I cut myself."

Asagi hugged him, unaware that the feline hanyou was blushing bright red. He went completely still when something warm and tender touched his cheek, and Asagi beamed at him.

"Try to be more careful Rinkusu, I hate seeing you in pain."

Rinkusu stuttered a quiet thank you, blushing fit to burst. Asagi smiled at him and turned to make the best of the rough sleeping conditions. In less than ten minutes, she had curled up near the fire and was lightly dozing. Rinkusu and Makoto ate their food in silence, listening to the wind blowing through the trees. Rinkusu pulled out Asagi's old cloak and draped it over her. Makoto smiled slightly.

"You like Asagi don't you?"

Rinkusu looked up quickly.

"W-well, I suppose, I mean, she's a nice girl, and she accepts me for who I am, not what I might be when I get older."

Makoto nodded as he tended to the fire. He lay down on his makeshift futon and shut his eyes.

"I mean, you really have a thing for her don't you? I can tell, Rinkusu."

Rinkusu stared into the fire. He'd never discussed anything other than family love with anyone not blood-related.

"I do, yes. Asagi is brave, strong, and...so elegant and graceful. Her eyes shine like gold, she moves as well as a lynx youkai can, her voice calls to me in a way I've never thought possible."

Makoto nodded as he threw branches on the fire.

"That's love for you, Rinkusu. Let her know when you feel you're both ready."

The young onmyouji turned onto his side, finally getting warm.

"See you tomorrow, Rinkusu."

Rinkusu lay down away from the fire, shivering in the cold, but determined not to intrude on Asagi's personal space. He stretched slightly, and suddenly turned in the darkness, hearing something. A dull thud sounded as a rounded pebble knocked Rinkusu unconscious as shadowy figures made their way towards Asagi.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I only own Hanone, Rinkusu and Ryuu No Taishou. Makoto Aoyama belongs to the author Ausir, and all other characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 10**

**Ai's confession and Shippo's love**

Inuyasha shifted from where he'd been lying on a tree branch near the village. For a few days, he hadn't gone hunting, and decided to jump down to see what there was to be had. The second his feet touched the ground, an excited cry came to him.

"Inuyasha-niichan!"

He turned around as Ai, the youngest hanyou he'd ever met, with perhaps the exception of Shiori, came running up to him. Sighing, he knelt down so the little hanyou could talk to him easier. Ai threw herself on him, knocking them both to the ground. Inuyasha looked at her, irritated.

"Hey, why'd you do that?"

Ai looked upset, but spoke to Inuyasha anyway.

"Inuyasha-niichan? Please, can Ai come with you?"

"Eh? Why'd you want to come with me, I'm only going hunting."

Ai dashed off, only to reappear moments later with a bow and several arrows.

"Ai can hunt! Please, Inuyasha-niichan?"

Inuyasha sighed.

"You just got that bow from Kagome didn't you?

Ai nodded, and knocked an arrow onto the bowstring. She pulled back and fired an arrow at a tree nearby. It flew straight and embedded itself in the trunk. Ai smiled triumphantly and turned to Inuyasha.

"See? Ai can fire a bow!"

Inuyasha got up and began to walk off downriver. Ai hurried to catch up with the older hanyou, and after a while, Inuyasha even went as far as to let her ride on his shoulders. Ai giggled as she stroked Inuyasha's ears.

"Where are we going, Inuyasha-niichan?"

Inuyasha nodded ahead. Cropping the grass up ahead were several fat geese. He made to draw Tessaiga, but from nowhere, Shippo appeared, frightening the geese off. Inuyasha irritably sheathed his sword, and put Ai down.

"Shippo, you damn idiot! Why don't you show up when you're wanted, and not in time to ruin my hunts?"

Ai walked over to the kitsune and took his hand in hers, making him flush red.

"Can Ai go with Shippo, Inuyasha-niichan?"

"Do what you want. I'm going to find something to bring back to the village, that old hag Kaede hasn't stopped whining lately."

Inuyasha turned and left. Shippo flushed bright red as Ai held his hand. He turned to the aquatic hanyou, averting his eyes as he spoke.

"Um, Ai?"

Ai turned to look at Shippo.

"Yes, Shippo-kun?"

"Um, would you like to go for a walk? J-just you and me?"

Ai smiled brightly at the blushing kitsune.

"Yes, Ai would love to go for a walk with you, Shippo-kun!"

Ai let go of Shippo's hand and began to walk into the snowy forest nearby, part of Inuyasha's domain. Shippo caught up with her, walking alongside the small hanyou, his blush subsiding slightly. He had been taken with Ai ever since they met, although the events that had taken place had prevented any romance from blooming. But now that Shippo had time to himself, he could pursue Ai for her affections. For what felt like hours, he walked with Ai, the small hanyou not saying anything. As they came upon a clearing in the snowy woods, Shippo slowed down. Ai looked at the kitsune curiously.

"What is it, Shippo-kun? Ai thinks you look ill."

Ai then pressed her small hand to Shippo's brow, as she'd seen Inuyasha do to Kagome. She frowned slightly, not seeing the bright red blush on Shippo's face. Shippo shook his head.

"Oh, I'm not ill, Ai-chan. I'm just…thinking."

Ai stepped back and looked at him curiously.

"What are you thinking about, Shippo-kun?"

Shippo fidgeted, not sure how to voice his feelings for the small hanyou, or whether or not he even should. He took a deep breath and was about to speak, when a snowball hit him in the face. Ai giggled and bent over to scoop up more snow. Shippo smiled, somewhat ruefully, and began to throw snowballs at Ai too. Ducking one of Ai's snowballs, he threw his too far and heard a yelp. Emerging from the undergrowth came Shion, Moegi, Dai and Roku. Shippo looked up in surprise and alarm.

"How long have you been there?"

Shion wiped the snow off his tunic.

"We were sent to get firewood for the village, and then we heard you and Ai near us. Are you out on a walk?"

Shippo nodded.

"Yes. I was out on a walk when I disrupted Inuyasha's hunt, so he left Ai with me and we came here. We were having a bit of a snowball fight. A-and I was going to tell Ai…"

Roku interrupted.

"Mind if we join you? Hardly any of the kids in the village want to play today."

Ai nodded and scooped up some snow, throwing it hastily at Roku, but missing and hitting Dai instead. The hanyou twins smirked and retreated a short distance along with Moegi, leaving Shion to join Shippo and Ai.

"Bring it on! Three on three snowball fight!"

In almost no time at all, a veritable barrage of snowballs was flying thick and fast through the air. Most of them found no mark, but occasionally, a snowball found its target. Shion seemed to have a natural gift of seeing where a snowball had the highest chance of hitting, and several times was able to hit such potential snowballs out of the air. Out of all of them, Shippo was being hit the most as he kept looking at Ai. Sensing victory, Roku, Dai and Moegi began to increase their rate of fire. Shion worked tirelessly to interdict all of the incoming snowballs that would hit anyone on his team, but the occasional one still got through. Shippo shook snow out of his face and then decided to play hard to get. A popping sound echoed from him as no less than a dozen mirror images of the kitsune appeared, throwing snowballs back at the others. Roku, Dai and Moegi were slowly becoming overwhelmed, but already they'd seen that once hit, Shippo's clones would vanish, and Shion couldn't intercept all of their icy missiles. As they played, they were oblivious to approaching danger. Although all the hanyou children were wearing warm clothing, thanks mostly to Kaede and Kagome's worrying, a blast of cold air blew through the clearing, chilling them all to the bone. Shippo's clones all vanished, and he turned around to see a youkai bearing down on them. Although this particular youkai looked like a woman, her white hair, blue eyes and cold demeanour made her look anything but human.

"Well, it isn't often I have six little children put in my forest!"

Her voice was clear, but carried an undertone that promised pain to any who had the misfortune to come across her. The children gathered into a group, uneasy around this ice youkai. Shion was, surprisingly, the first one to object.

"This isn't your forest; it belongs to Inuyasha-niichan."

The youkai snarled.

"If I were a raptor hanyou, I'd do the world a favour and dive into a river."

Moegi spoke in Shion's defence, not seeing the purple-haired hanyou flush.

"Why don't you try it yourself? This isn't your land. If Inuyasha-niichan were here, he'd send you packing! He destroyed two of the Four War Gods; he could handle a lowly youkai like you in his sleep."

Roku and Dai made noises of agreement. The ice youkai walked nearer.

"I see I'll have to deal with such impudent brats. Who wants to be first?"

She extended her arms, radiating intense cold. Ai trembled, prompting Shippo into action. The kitsune ran forward and yelled.

"Kitsune-bi!"

A torrent of blue fire streamed forth and hit the ice youkai. She fell back in surprise, but soon regained her footing. As gallant as Shippo's action might be, when all was said and done, his attack was little more than a deterrent to all but the weakest of youkai. The ice youkai came closer.

"Shall I warm you with a nice hug, children?"

Shippo retreated to stand right in front of the five hanyou, who retaliated at the youkai with the closest weapon at hand, although snowballs against the ice youkai barely had any effect at all. Shippo suddenly realised what this youkai was.

"Oh no! This is an Onna youkai! If you get hugged you get encased in ice!"

Onna laughed, causing all six of the youngsters to cringe. Her laugh made them feel as if scalding needles were trying to penetrate their skulls. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Onna swept down on them all, grabbing Ai, much to everyone's shock.

"Well aren't you a cute little one?" She said mockingly as she hugged the aquatic hanyou. Ai screamed and struggled violently, already feeling desperately cold.

"Shippo-kun! Shippo-kun!"

Shippo's eyes blazed and he leapt up at the ice youkai, but was batted away. The other four hanyou children looked on in horror as Ai weakened before their eyes. Shippo got up again and fired off another kitsune-bi, distracting Onna from making Ai freeze.

"Distract her all you can! We have to save Ai!"

A veritable hailstorm of snowballs pelted Onna, making her lose her temper. In her iron grip, Ai was weakening. Shippo sent a third torrent of blue fire at the ice youkai, who was looking as if this was all put on for her entertainment. She batted Shippo away again, and fired a number of ice spikes at the hanyou children, forcing them to retreat. Shippo got up, looking well and truly angry. Ai was now hardly moving. A sudden smell reached him, one that was oddly familiar. He turned to see a blast of yellow energy narrowly miss Onna. Inuyasha landed easily in the clearing, Tessaiga over his shoulder.

"Shippo, you can't win against this youkai by yourself."

Shippo leapt at Onna and clawed at her face. The angry ice youkai responded by firing another hail of ice spikes, although none hit their target. Ai had all but fainted in Onna's grip, but as her strength waned, she whispered two words.

"Shippo…kun."

A blazing fire like none he'd summoned before engulfed the ice youkai, shining around Ai like a protective halo. Memories raced through his mind, memories of when he'd first met Ai, when they'd played together in the autumn, when he'd tried to impress her first by bringing her food when she'd had a cold, and the time he'd realised his feelings for her went beyond simple friendship. Onna screamed in torment as Shippo's fire destroyed her. In the space of ten seconds, the ice youkai had vanished, leaving Ai with Shippo on the snowy ground. Inuyasha turned to the four hanyou children.

"Well, go get Kagome! Hurry!"

Prompted into action, the children ran off. Inuyasha removed his fire-rat haori and passed it to Shippo.

"Keep her warm Shippo."

Shippo silently nodded, his eyes full of tears. He wrapped Ai in the warm clothing, and tried everything he knew to keep her warm. Inuyasha crouched down and spoke to Shippo.

"You were really brave taking on that youkai. Reckless, yeah, but very brave."

He got up and retreated a short way, the better to give Shippo some privacy. Shippo rubbed Ai's cold hands, his tears falling down to land on Ai's cheeks. After giving in to his worry he might not speak to Ai ever again, that she may have gone where only Tenseiga could bring her back, he let out his grief, crying that Ai wasn't responding. He felt a slight touch on his hand, and looked down. Ai was slowly coming to, her eyes opening. Her skin still felt deathly cold, but she was clearly recovering. Shippo's eyes widened in amazement.

"Ai-chan?"

Ai looked up at him, still lethargic after her ordeal. She gave a weak smile and reached up to touch his cheek.

"Shippo-kun."

She looked at the kitsune in surprise.

"Were you crying for Ai, Shippo-kun?"

Shippo nodded, his eyes still waterlogged. Ai pulled him down towards her, smiling weakly.

"Ai's alright."

Shippo smiled back at Ai, but got the shock of his life when something warm touched his cheek. Ai pulled back from her kiss, smiling at Shippo.

"Ai loves you, Shippo-kun."

Some time later, Shippo was sat beside Ai's bed in the hut the hanyou children all shared. Ai was sleeping off her ordeal. Kaede had said she needed lots of rest, warm food and a warm room to sleep in, and that she'd be better by the next day. Shippo had volunteered to keep an eye on her. Inuyasha hadn't said a thing about Shippo and Ai falling in love with one another, and so far only he knew. It was midnight when Ai finally stirred and got up off her futon. Shippo was laid on the floor next to her futon, sleeping. She smiled and walked to get a drink, feeling dizzy still, but otherwise no worse for her encounter. After drinking, she lay down and fell asleep again, one thought running through her mind.

_Thank you, Shippo-kun_


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own no characters from the Inuyasha universe. I own only Hanone, Rinkusu, InuTono and Ryuu no Taishou. Makoto Aoyama belongs to Ausir

Translation notes: 'Tono' interprets as 'Feudal Warlord'. 'Jaki' is dark energy given off by youkai or places of evil. 'Itachi' means weasel.

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 11**

**The dog lord of the north, InuTono**

Rinkusu awoke slowly. A band of various youkai moved through their camp. What drew his attention was their leader, a canine daiyoukai by his scent, who was tall, saturnine and had long white hair. His eyes were a piercing blue, and his expression was fierce. He got up, revealing peculiar armour seemingly wrought from the fangs, claws and hide of other youkai. Four purple stripes ran across his face, two underneath his eyes, one on either side of his nose. His claws gleamed a slight green as he freed Rinkusu from his bonds.

"You, hanyou. You are extremely fortunate I was in the area when Ryuu No Taishou's scouts found you."

Rinkusu looked around.

"Where is my halberd?"

The canine daiyoukai motioned to one of his followers, and the white bladed halberd was passed to Rinkusu. Rinkusu stood up, seeing Asagi and Makoto nearby. The daiyoukai beckoned him to follow.

"You, and your companions, follow me."

Asagi and Makoto got up. For some reason, Rinkusu felt a stab of jealousy when he saw Asagi smile at Makoto. All three followed the daiyoukai to a tall tree in the middle of the forest. He turned and faced them.

"I am InuTono, the dog lord of the North. I regret to say that my army was unable to stop the scouts of Ryuu No Taishou making off with your gem fragments."

Asagi looked miserable. Makoto grimaced. Rinkusu put his arm around Asagi, surprisingly drawing a smile from InuTono.

"Peculiar, to see a feline hanyou drawn to a mouse."

Rinkusu shrugged slightly.

"Hanyou are pretty unusual by all accounts."

InuTono nodded.

"Very true. If what Asagi says is correct, you have met my nephew, Sesshoumaru?"

Asagi spoke up.

"Yes, a few times now."

"You are very fortunate indeed. Sesshoumaru loathes hanyou, especially his half-brother. Yet because my brother intended to defeat the Four War Gods, he has taken it upon himself to keep you two safe. Your human companion too."

Makoto frowned.

"Your brother was the dog lord of the Western Lands? I've heard of him, and the sword he possessed, Sou'unga."

InuTono's eyes narrowed.

"Do not speak of that blade again, human."

Makoto looked away, abashed by the daiyoukai's anger. InuTono waited a few moments, then spoke again.

"A scout of mine has a map I believe you'll find useful. He mapped every location where the gem shards landed."

A vulture youkai, looking like a bedraggled tramp, unfurled the roll of parchment. Asagi, Rinkusu and Makoto leaned forward to look. InuTono indicated the green dots.

"Nearly all of the shards are owned by humans. One human in particular seeks immortality by owning the whole gem, and has somehow tricked Ryuu No Taishou into giving him the shards you had. Only seven remain."

InuTono pointed out seven locations on the map. Asagi looked at the last location with something approaching terror. It showed a rocky valley ending in a cave and a forge. The female hanyou trembled, remembering her vision. InuTono noticed her discomfort, but just as he was about to comment on it, a loud noise distracted them all from outside. Motioning for them to follow, InuTono, Asagi, Makoto and Rinkusu walked towards the source of the disturbance. Five youkai were binding a red-haired wolf youkai, who looked extremely familiar to Asagi. She ran forward.

"Stop! That's my friend, Ayame!"

Ayame looked up on hearing Asagi's voice, her jade green eyes lighting up. InuTono looked at Asagi, then gestured to his youkai.

"Release the wolf."

Ayame got up and walked over to Asagi, looking irritated. Asagi smiled at her, and then turned back to InuTono.

"Is there any way you can assure us of success with the gem fragments? We have none now, but Sesshoumaru has one."

InuTono eyed the female hanyou, then tilted his head back and gave a high-pitched call. A distant shriek, almost mistakable for an echo, came back to them on the wind. The canine daiyoukai smiled, and motioned for the motley crew to follow him as he walked towards the plain Ryuu No Taishou had so recently burned. As they walked through the ranks of the Northern Lord's army, various kinds of youkai became apparent, ranging from insectile beings to a large, creamy-white coloured cat with two tails and fire around the paws. Finally, they came to a stop on the plains. A large golden eagle flew down out of the sky and landed easily. Asagi looked at the eagle youkai in amazement. It was massive, possibly a daiyoukai, and had spikes growing out of its' back. The feathers were huge, almost as long as her forearm.

"I've not seen a raptor youkai since I was on Horai. One of the other survivors, Shion, is a raptor hanyou."

Ayame, Rinkusu and Makoto all mounted the giant eagle. Asagi turned to InuTono.

"Thank you so much, Lord InuTono. Is there a way I can repay you?"

InuTono shook his head in amusement.

"Unless you want to kill Ryuu No Taishou."

"Is he the son of Ryuukotsusei?"

"Yes."

Asagi climbed onto the eagle's back.

"I will do all I can then."

The eagle flared his wings, preparing to take flight. Makoto worriedly held on to the spike nearest to him. At the same instant, Ayame grabbed the same spike, her hand touching the onmyouji's. Both of them looked at one another at exactly the same time, a slight flush coming to Ayame. Rinkusu didn't seem at all fazed by the thought of flying, but Asagi was clutching one of the spikes as if to let go of it meant certain death. The eagle leapt into the air, flapping to gain height. After a while, the eagle spoke to them.

"So, where is it you wish to go?"

The eagle spoke with a rough tone of voice. Asagi was too scared to talk, leaving it up to Rinkusu to speak.

"We need to find the last seven gem fragments. Did you see the map?"

"Yeah. We're headed for the nearest one, we ought to…"

Suddenly, the eagle lurched to the side. A shower of green spikes, identical to the attack Asagi had unleashed once, peppered the sky. Levelling off, the eagle swooped down.

"Looks as if someone else is trying to put you off."

Rinkusu looked over the eagle's back. Somewhere down below, shards of emeralds were being shot up at them. He withdrew and turned to the eagle.

"Is this where the gem fragment is?"

"No, it's up ahead. Just by that gorge."

Asagi glanced up. Already she could feel the nauseating sensation coming from the canyon. No-one else appeared to be affected by it though, but already she was shaking like a leaf. Rinkusu glanced back at her, and then spoke to the giant eagle.

"Are there any other gem fragments nearby?"

The eagle sighed.

"Not within a day's flight of here, no. Do you want this one down here or not?"

Rinkusu looked apologetically at Asagi, and turned back to the eagle youkai.

"Yes. I'll fetch it."

Asagi looked up in shock. By entering the cave, Rinkusu would be putting himself in dire peril. But already they were flying towards the rocky gorge, and she knew she had to get the last fragments, reform the gem, and use it to break the first seal over the Dragon Talisman. Asagi swallowed nervously as the eagle youkai landed. The gorge was unusually warm, considering it was early January. Asagi slowly climbed down off the eagle's back, Rinkusu in tow. Makoto looked at the two hanyou in concern.

"Will you two be alright? This gorge stinks of jaki, and it only gets worse up ahead."

Ayame made to dismount, but Makoto put his arm out to stop her.

"No, don't go Ayame. Nothing about this seems right at all to me."

Asagi turned to the onmyouji.

"What would you have us do, Makoto? We can't leave this gem fragment; we need it to break the first seal."

Makoto sighed.

"I thought you said that Hanone told you no hanyou can handle the Dragon Talisman? Only one daiyoukai can do it, and for all we know, that could be Ryuu No Taisho himself. Anyway, this whole plan sounds like a bad idea."

Rinkusu turned around, exasperated.

"Do you have any ideas about how to get into that cave then, if us physically going in there is such a bad idea? Unless you have some force about you, one that lets you telekinetically pull or push things to you, then we HAVE to go in there."

There was silence as Makoto considered the problem. Asagi and Rinkusu both glanced down the winding canyon that led to the cave. Makoto smiled and drew out a strange flute. He blew into it, producing no audible sound, but not long after, a weasel, running on its hind legs and carrying a golden sickle, not unlike a crescent moon in shape, arrived, looking up at Makoto.

"You whistled, Master?"

Ayame looked at the weasel closely. Although it had every appearance of a weasel youkai, something about it looked odd to her. She clicked her fingers as realisation dawned.

"T-that's a shikigami!"

Makoto nodded. Ayame looked at the human with something like respect in her jade green eyes, and then turned to look at the weasel shikigami. Makoto spoke to his servant.

"Itachi, I need you to follow this canyon and enter the cave at the very end. There should be a piece of green gem somewhere. Find it and bring it back here."

The shikigami bared its fangs and took off down the canyon. Asagi sat down, relieved that she wouldn't be going near the cave of her nightmares. For what felt like an eternity, they waited, the eagle youkai taking the opportunity to nap. At long last, Itachi came scurrying back. Makoto sighed. His servant wasn't carrying the gem shard.

"Did you find it, Itachi?"

The shikigami nodded.

"In a cave, there's an old anvil, remains of a furnace, metal working tools, many things. The gem is in there, embedded in the anvil. I tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't work."

Makoto looked thoughtful. He gently nudged the eagle he was sat on, waking him up.

"Can't you go into this cave and pull out the gem for us?"

The eagle woke up, looking over its back at Makoto.

"Can't you address me by name, human?"

"You never told us what your name was."

The eagle snorted. It was only after a minute of this that Makoto realised he was laughing.

"My name is Chrysaetos."

"So, Chrysaetos, can you?"

"No. I wouldn't fit. I've seen this cave before, many centuries ago, when a blade was forged to repel the dragons from the far north."

Ayame looked at the canyon and climbed off Chrysaetos' back, landing easily on the warm rock.

"I'll go with Asagi and Rinkusu. Wait here, Makoto, we won't be long."

Asagi trembled, her right hand instinctively going to her sword hilt for comfort. Slowly, she walked down the canyon, Rinkusu at her side and Ayame just behind them, her katana drawn in case of anything that may choose to attack her companions. As they walked down the canyon and lost sight of Makoto and Chrysaetos, signs of violent destruction and murder became crystal clear all around them. Bones littered the rocky ground, dark patches that looked like dried blood stained the high cliffs, and as the wind shifted, it gave the sound as if someone was being tortured. Asagi trembled as the cave finally came into sight. She coughed as she caught the scent of death. Strangely, neither Rinkusu nor Ayame seemed to be at all affected. She walked into the cave, now looking petrified. Although her two companions tried to follow, some unseen barrier refused to grant them access, leaving Asagi to venture forth on her own. As she walked deeper into the large cave, she looked around, squinting. The light was dim, but as she entered, torches on the wall suddenly flared into light, casting a ghostly blue light on the abandoned forge. Asagi saw the gem fragment embedded in the anvil, just as Makoto's shikigami had said. She reached out to touch it, but some unseen energy forced her back. She drew Ryuuzatsume, hoping to cut the gem out, and called behind her.

"Rinkusu, stand clear."

No answer came to her. She turned around to see that neither of her companions were anywhere in sight. Fear engulfed her as she turned back to the stained anvil. A sweet, sickly scent filled the cave, making her choke. A voice, unlike any she'd ever heard, whispered to her as she levelled her scarlet blade. It was deep, and chilled her to the bone.

_You reek of fear and terror, hanyou._

"Shut up!"

She took a firmer grip on the hilt of her blade, trying to will herself to ignore the stench and the voice.

_You will never be as strong as you desire. Everything you try to protect will perish, no matter how hard you try._

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Asagi screamed. A feeling of helplessness enveloped her, her hands shaking. The voice laughed.

_You wish for more power, hanyou._

"Leave me alone!" She felt awful, her hands shaking so much she almost let go of her sword.

_It is no sin to desire to become stronger._

Asagi ground her teeth, a tear spilling down her cheek.

_You wish to gain new abilities to protect others, correct?_

She sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"So what if I do?"

At that moment, a thick pall of smoke rose from the anvil itself. Through it, she could see the mocking faces of the Four War Gods who had brought about the death of her entire family. With an angry yell, she slashed through the image, the scarlet blade cleaving into the anvil. The smoke intensified, staining the red blade jet black. A bizarre power engulfed the sword, corrupting her as well. Her skin took on a deathly grey pallor, as if she had spent years living in the dark, and her eyes flashed the colour of arterial blood. A tinge of purple ran up the blade, and the voice in the background laughed in triumph. The gem fragment lay on the floor, forgotten as the evil spirit lodged in her sword possessed the young hanyou.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own no characters from the Inuyasha universe. I own only Hanone, Rinkusu, InuTono and Ryuu no Taishou. Makoto Aoyama belongs to Ausir

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 12**

**The killer within**

Rinkusu sat on the rocky ground, looking at the invisible barrier that separated him from Asagi. Ayame had gone back to Makoto and Chrysaetos, leaving the lynx hanyou by himself. He tapped his white halberd against the dull rock, wondering what Asagi could possibly be doing. As he waited, his thoughts wandered to his family in the forest. Suteneko, his sister, would be dozing out the winter, as she often did. He smiled when he remembered fond moments he'd shared with her, such as when he'd taught her how to fish, when they'd watched the eclipse in the autumn together, and the time they'd gone to a distant crater lake with the rest of the tribe. Suteneko had been fairly well treated in the tribe, owing to her deformities. She had a crippled right arm, deep scarring running from her back to her belly, and had two toes missing on her left foot. Her hair was black, and her eyes shone the same hue of green as his own. Glancing up, Rinkusu saw no sign of Asagi within the cave. Sighing, he scratched idly at his back through his dragonhide top.

oOoOo

Inside the cave, Asagi could feel bloodlust overwhelming her. Regardless of what memories she tried to focus on, she knew that this was not a battle she could win easily. In her hand, Ryuuzatsume pulsed with jaki, sending shimmers of purple energy running up and down the stained blade. Asagi slumped, feeling sick to her stomach. Even with the evil spirit possessing her, the occasional memory flashed back to her, memories from Horai, such as when she had played in the sea as a tiny infant, and when she'd seen her older brother die in a vain attempt to placate the Four War Gods. She shuddered, tears welling up in her yellow eyes and spilling to the floor as she wept. Her grief seemed to have some kind of effect on the evil spirit possessing her, as she managed to retain some of her mind even as it tried to take her over completely. Unwillingly, she found herself walking towards the cave entrance, Ryuuzatsume hanging loosely in her grip. Thinking fast, she tried to fling the sword from her, but even as she released the blade, tendrils emerged from the hilt and grabbed her hand, drawing the blade back to her. The evil spirit laughed in her mind.

_You are resourceful, Asagi. But you cannot master me, or rid yourself of my presence._

Asagi gritted her teeth, feeling Ryuuzatsume pulse against her side.

"I can still try!" She said fiercely.

_Oh, a determined one? I will enjoy breaking your mind, Asagi._

Suddenly, a flash of purple erupted from the blade as they neared the exit to the cave. Asagi could feel the jaki building, faster and faster until it seemed it would explode. She struggled with all her might, and finally managed to yell out. In the afternoon light, she could see Rinkusu.

"Rinkusu! Get away from me! I, I've…"

Her voice was suddenly cut off as the blade flamed purple.

oOoOo

Rinkusu looked up in astonishment as Asagi approached from inside the cave. She looked sickly, resembling someone starved of light. As she drew nearer, he could sense the jaki pouring off her sword, which had somehow turned jet black. Just short of the entrance, he heard her yell.

"Rinkusu! Get away from me! I, I've…"

He stared in shock as her eyes flashed blood red. She raised Ryuuzatsume, purple flames running along its' length. He gasped and hurried back along the gorge as Asagi yelled an attack to the heavens, slashing down with her sword.

"GOKURYUUHA!"

A spherical twister exploded from the blade, purple and black in colour. As if the canyon wall wasn't even there, the attack cleaved through the rock and earth, blasting along for over a mile until it finally petered out. As the attack was released, Asagi felt her mind return to her, the evil spirit temporarily weakened by the huge amount of energy it had used to unleash Gokuryuuha. She looked out over the devastated landscape, her eyes straying to the stained blade. Disgust welled up inside her at what she had done, and, too ashamed to rejoin her companions, she morosely walked down the path carved out of the land by the apocalyptic attack.

oOoOo

Rinkusu arrived back at the main group out of breath and in pain, his scars throbbing nastily from running. Makoto looked up at where the tornado-like attack gouged through the land.

"What could have unleashed power like that?"

Surprisingly, Chrysaetos looked up.

"That can mean only one thing. Your hanyou friend has unleashed the spirit of an ancient dragon daiyoukai, Ryuu Youshou."

Makoto and Ayame turned to looked at the eagle youkai.

"Ryuu Youshou? Who was that?"

Chrysaetos flexed his enormous wings and motioned for his passengers to dismount. When they were on the rocky ground, he squatted down, almost as if he was sitting on eggs.

"Ryuu Youshou and his son, Ryuukotsusei, were both daiyoukai from a land to the far north, many miles away. Three thousand years ago they sought to take Japan for their own. I served with the only daiyoukai willing to fight such powerful foes, his name was Yamaneko. Those times were darker than you can imagine. Hordes of youkai roamed these northern lands, and the fighting was so fierce, rivers of blood poured through this very valley. Desperate measures were needed to defeat the two dragons, so Yamaneko took three fangs, one of his own, one from InuTono's father, and one from Ryuu Youshou himself, and crafted the mighty sword, Sou'unga. With Sou'unga in hand, Yamaneko engaged Ryuu Youshou many times, but neither could overpower the other. The dragon's fang could not strike down its' former master, but neither could it allow Yamaneko to die. Finally, a gem was crafted into the hilt to give the blade more power, and Yamaneko's Bakuryuuha became Hell's dragon, Gokuryuuha. He drove off Ryuukotsusei, who would one day return to fight InuTaisho, and slew Ryuu Youshou. However, as he died, Ryuu Youshou's spirit entered the gem in the hilt. Whilst it made a perfect catalyst to increase the power of Sou'unga, it also made the blade malevolent, and it could possess all but the strongest of wielders. Many humans unleashed untold destruction on the northern regions of Honshu, before finally, InuTono seized the blade and passed it to his brother, InuTaisho. Now Sou'unga has been cast into hell, only the spirit remained in the anvil where Sou'unga was forged. By slicing the anvil, Asagi is now possessed."

Only the wind broke the silence as the trio digested the story in silence. His narrative finished, Chrysaetos began to preen his huge feathers. Rinkusu was the first to break the silence.

"So how can we stop Asagi? Is it possible for her to master the attack?"

Chrysaetos looked up.

"Yes, if Asagi reverts to her human form, she may be able to tame the dragon spirit. The brute force of youkai and compassion of humans blend in hanyou such as you. However, she must be kept away from habitation until the day she takes on her human form. The bloodlust is impossible to entirely resist."

Makoto pondered what to do, and then stood up.

"I'll send both my shikigami to track Asagi down. If we leave it too long, she'll lose herself to the evil spirit and start a bloodbath across this entire island."

A light flurry of snow began to fall as the three travelers mounted the eagle and were carried into the sky to look for Asagi. Below them, the valley that contained the forge of Sou'unga lay silent and deserted once more.

After almost an hour of flying, a smaller youkai bird flew up to the giant eagle. Chrysaetos gave a snort as he recognized the youkai duck and spoke over his back to his passengers.

"Hanone. The creator of Sou'unga and Ryuuzatsume. If Asagi will go to anyone for help, she'll go to him."

Hanone flew closer, looking up at the eagle.

"Oh, Chrysaetos, it's been a while."

Chrysaetos snorted again.

"If by a while you mean over a thousand years then yes, it has been. Your protégé hanyou unlocked the Gokuryuuha."

"Asagi obtained that attack? It's impossible for a hanyou to master without changing back. Did you see where she went?"

Chrysaetos indicated the gulley cut by Asagi. Hanone began to fly lower, but called back to the others.

"Carry on gathering those gem shards; you need to stop that warlord possessing them."

Rinkusu frowned.

"Warlord? Hanone, what's going on?"

The sword smith had already vanished. Rinkusu sighed and thought hard. He had memorized the map, but the next gem shard would be next to impossible to retrieve. The map had shown it lodged in a volcanic caldera. One that was still active.

oOoOo

Asagi trudged across the landscape, her yellow eyes waterlogged. She sniffed, rubbing tears from her eyes with her free hand. Ryuuzatsume was scarlet once again, the dragon spirit now resting and regaining its' strength. Her frustration boiled over, and she slashed at a rock to vent her anger.

"It's not right! I shouldn't be this weak!"

She slumped down in the lee of a tree, tears pouring down her face. High above, snow clouds promised nothing short of a blizzard, but Asagi didn't notice. Before sleep claimed her, her last thoughts were of the hanyou children she'd protected. She dozed for a few minutes, then snapped awake as the piercing cold engulfed her. Her youkai slayer outfit was torn from unleashing Gokuryuuha and her events in the forge, and she was no longer kept warm. As she huddled over, a green light, more like a stray firefly than anything, bobbed over her.

_Asagi-chan._

Asagi looked up in shock, recognizing the voice immediately.

"Mother?"

_Yes, it's me, Asagi. Don't give up. You can overcome this obstacle, and soon._

"B-but I have no idea how I can contain this power, much less master it!"

Asagi dissolved into tears again, weeping that she had let her family down, fearing she would forever be a slave to the spirit that occupied her sword. Her mother spoke softly.

_Remember the song, Asagi. What are humans?_

Slowly, the distraught mouse hanyou looked up at the shining green light.

"The hand that nurtures? Are you saying, mother, th-that I'll master this power in my human form?"

_Humans have the strongest desires of any beings. Desire to control this power, and it'll be yours to protect with. Can you think of anything you want to protect?_

"Something to protect?" Asagi echoed quietly. It took barely a second before she pictured Dai, Moegi, Shion, Ai and Roku in her minds' eye, and then Rinkusu appeared to her as well. She smiled slightly.

"Yes, I do have people to protect. But it's another two weeks until I change back to human."

She looked around to see the green light had gone. Shivering against the cold, she began to look for shelter and soon found an empty cave near a road. The cave wasn't exactly warm, but it was an improvement over the icy wind outside. She sat in the darkness, rubbing herself when her hand knocked the sheath. An idea suddenly dawned on her. The sheath could contain Ryuuzatsume's powers normally, perhaps it could contain it now. In one fluid movement, she sheathed the sword, instantly freeing her right hand. Joy swept over her as she realized she was now safe from the evil spirit staining her blade, but she also knew that drawing the sword would unlock the spirit once again. Just as she was about to go to sleep, a muffled crash sounded from outside the cave. Hanone walked in, his youkai duck looking around outside casually. The sword smith walked up to Asagi and slapped her awake.

"So, you've obtained the powers of my greatest weapon, eh? Well, you always DID have potential."

Asagi frowned up at him.

"I've lost most of the Protection gem shards, been captured by Ryuu No Taisho's scouts, unleashed Gokuryuuha and found out my sword is possessed. Isn't that a good enough excuse to let a hanyou get some rest?"

Hanone shook his grizzled head.

"So you want to learn how to control Gokuryuuha do you?"

Asagi sat bolt upright, her lethargy forgotten.

"There is a way?"

"Of course. Come with me back to the mountain."

Asagi looked away.

"But what of my friends? They don't know where I am, or what sort of state I'm in."

She winced as Hanone slapped her over the head.

"They're heading to search for shards of that gem without you. I'm disappointed you lost so many, but you _were_ ambushed, so I guess it can't be helped. For now, you'll have to stay asleep until you revert to your human form. When you do, the spirit will be vanquished, but you'll keep Gokuryuuha as an attack. Have you mastered either of the other attacks yet?"

"No, all I can do is a kenatsu, but I have used Kaze no Mizu a few times."

Hanone looked at her in despair.

"Only a kenatsu and you've had the blade how long? Two months now? I see I'll have to train you harder."

Asagi got up and followed Hanone to his youkai duck. She mounted the bird, and held on as they flew back to Hanone's mountain.

oOoOo

Chrysaetos veered to the east, heading towards Hanone's mountain. Rinkusu, Makoto and Ayame were riding the giant eagle, none speaking as they pondered what to do about Asagi. However, after talking among themselves, they had agreed that if Asagi were to go to anyone for help, it would be Hanone. Rinkusu glanced to the south, where one of the last seven shards lay somewhere in an active volcano. Makoto suddenly spoke up as the giant eagle drifted towards the mountain.

"Wait. Chrysaetos, shouldn't we be hunting out those gem fragments? If there's only six or seven left, then we ought to find them first."

The eagle youkai changed course silently, heading for the volcano. Makoto looked on, his face grim as they approached the mountain. Ayame hadn't said a word since she had left the valley, and Rinkusu looked pensive. As they drew closer and closer, the stench of sulphur filled the air, and the roars of the erupting volcano made ordinary speech impossible to hear. Chrysaetos bellowed to his passengers above the roaring volcano.

"There's a patch not touched by the lava down there, we'll land there."

The giant youkai flew down in spirals, occasionally firing some beam attack to shred falling lava. Eventually, the three travelers dismounted and set foot on the dangerous mountain. Fumaroles leaked foul-smelling gasses, and the earth trembled and shook beneath their feet. Not far away, an opening gaped in the side of the mountain, like the maw of a demon. Rinkusu gulped and took a tight hold of his halberd.

"I can't see or sense the gem fragment anywhere around here."

Chrysaetos looked around, and hastily blew up a lava bomb flying through the air close to them. Ayame turned around, her jade eyes wide.

"Look, forget this fragment; I'm not risking my life for some chunk of gem. There are five more, and what's to say we can't steal the rest from that warlord Hanone mentioned? Let Ryuu No Taisho risk his hide to get this one."

Makoto sighed.

"We CAN'T, Ayame. Even if we got the fragments off the warlord, and the others scattered across the land, we would still be short one. Sesshoumaru has one, and even then, the gem has to be taken back to where the Dragon Talisman is buried. I don't like the thought of going into a bright green cave either, but we HAVE to."

Having said his piece, the onmyouji walked into the cave. Ayame looked at Rinkusu.

"Bright green cave?"

The lynx hanyou snickered slightly.

"He's colour blind."

Ayame smiled and followed Makoto into the cave. Rinkusu took a tight grip on his halberd as if for reassurance, then walked into the fiery depths, the heat assaulting him like a physical force. Not too far in was a large, almost circular cave. What he saw inside chilled his blood.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own no characters from the Inuyasha universe. I own only Hanone, Rinkusu, Chrysaetos, InuTono and Ryuu no Taishou. Makoto Aoyama belongs to Ausir

Translation notes: A kenatsu is basically an attack where the weapon makes a stream of energy, much like how Inuyasha used Tessaiga prior to learning Kaze no Kizu.

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 13**

**Showdown in the volcano**

"Concentrate, Asagi."

Asagi sighed as she lay in Hanone's cave. Ever since returning to the mountain, the sword smith had insisted on her practicing to focus her relatively small amount of youki. Hanone had said it would help her unlock one of Ryuuzatsume's stronger attacks, since all her uses of Kaze no Mizu seemed to have been flukes so far, but Asagi had been scared to draw the sword whilst it was possessed. She sighed and opened her eyes.

"Look, I, I just _can't_ unsheathe my sword whilst it's possessed. What if I unleash Gokuryuuha again?"

Hanone sighed and shook his head.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes. But for now, you'll have to become more adept at fighting with the untransformed sword."

Asagi's eyes widened.

"But I won't even be able to unleash a kenatsu like that, much less a full blown attack!"

Hanone looked up at her as he drew the sword. Although the blade pulsed with jaki, it didn't transform and merely kept its' look as a twin-edged katana.

"Rinkusu seems to do well enough without using kenatsu. And how do you think humans triumph in battle?"

Asagi snorted. From what she'd seen of battlefields, she didn't understand how humans fought without weapons like Tessaiga or Ryuuzatsume.

"By brute force and sheer luck."

Hanone chuckled.

"Asagi, in my experience, there's no such thing as luck. Only skill."

Asagi gave a dry snort, but said no more as Hanone began to work on the crimson blade, whetting a cutting edge onto the untransformed sword.

oOoOo

Rinkusu gasped as he entered the chamber. Inside was a huge snake, seemingly made of solidified rock and glowing with lava. Its eyes shone like twin sapphires as it leered at the hanyou. Ayame and Makoto were both out cold, having been struck by the enormous serpent. Hissing, the giant snake unwound itself and slid across the floor towards him.

"So, in one day I see a hanyou, a human and a youkai all together. I thought youkai had more pride than to ally themselves with your kind of filth."

Rinkusu flourished his halberd, his green eyes narrowed. In such a confined space, he wouldn't be able to use his natural agility, and a halberd wasn't ideal for close range combat. As he glanced at where Ayame lay, a glint of green caught his attention. The snake gave an ear-piercing screech, spewing congealed lava at Rinkusu, but narrowly missing the hanyou. Rinkusu snarled, irritated that his opponent had all the advantages. He gave a dry snort when he realized his dragon-skin clothing would afford him some protection at the very least. Flexing his claws, he squatted into a ready stance, hissing in vexation as his scars were pulled taut. The snake turned to look at him, and Rinkusu leapt up, catching his opponent off-guard. The snake twisted aside and gaped its cavernous maw, teeth the size of Rinkusu's lower arm showing. A low rumble reminded them that the volcano was active of its own accord, and a wave of acrid smoke wafted across the ground. Rinkusu dashed and retrieved the gem fragment, hoping beyond hope he could get the first hit in. Already his old scars were paining him, and he realized he wouldn't be able to do much with a lava serpent who could toss him around like a pebble, who he was fighting in the belly of an active volcano, to say nothing of having no decent weapons and two unconscious companions. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a flash of white, but his attention was brought back to his foe as the snake spewed lava again. This time, some globs of red hot molten rock hit him, causing severe burns. Rinkusu snarled as he fell to the ground, the stench of burning fur filling his nostrils. Fortunately, the dragon-skin clothing he wore had given him enough protection to keep the damage superficial. As the lava serpent made to finish him off, a whip of green slashed out, flinging the serpent aside as if it were nothing. Rinkusu got up and used his halberd to steady himself. Before he could ready an attack with his weapon, a blade of gold flew past him and struck the lava serpent in the chest, producing a roar of agony from the fatally wounded beast. Makoto got up, smiling in grim satisfaction.

"You fight bravely, Rinkusu."

Rinkusu's green eyes widened as he realized who had thrown the blade.

"T-that was YOU? I never knew you had gold knives with you!"

Makoto walked over to the dead snake and pulled his knife from the beast's huge corpse.

"I've had some training in fighting youkai. But what do you mean, Rinkusu? I don't have gold knives."

Rinkusu walked over to Ayame, who was slowly waking up.

"Yes you do, what colour do you think that is?"

Makoto held the golden blade up to examine it better in the dull red light of the lava cavern. Ayame got up, blowing out a long sigh at having been caught off-guard. Rinkusu began to walk out of the cavern, the wolf youkai in tow. Makoto emerged shortly after, still studying his dagger as if he'd never seen it before.

"But this isn't gold, this blade is stained green. So are the other ones I have."

Rinkusu exchanged a look with Ayame that plainly said he thought Makoto was one stick short of a bundle. Ayame smiled and climbed onto Chrysaetos when a voice sounded seemingly from nowhere.

"No thanks for helping you?"

Makoto looked up. Stood by the entrance of the tunnel was InuTono himself. Ayame turned to look at him.

"You helped us in that lava chamber?"

"I did indeed, young wolf."

Ayame smiled brightly as she dismounted Chrysaetos and bowed before the Northern Lord. Rinkusu came to see who she was talking to, and Makoto had seemingly given up on the opinion he had a set of green blades.

"…and on behalf of us all, I thank you for saving us in that fight."

InuTono looked amused at the young wolf's speech.

"I've met youkai with a dozen times your status and not a fraction of your courtesy, Ayame-chan. Tell me, where did you learn to be so polite?"

Ayame smiled.

"The wolf clans in my homeland were always volatile. I was taught the first level of diplomacy when I was a cub."

InuTono raised his eyebrows.

"First level of diplomacy?"

"Yes my lord, talking out problems. If that didn't work, we tended to resort to more…aggressive negotiations."

The daiyoukai smiled slightly.

"Negotiations with a weapon I assume?"

Ayame nodded. InuTono turned to leave, but spoke loud enough for Makoto and Rinkusu to hear as well.

"The warlord with the gem is in a fortress located in an old ox-bow lake. Sesshoumaru will help you if you can find him."

Makoto looked up.

"Sesshoumaru? Your nephew? But, I thought he disliked humans and hanyou."

InuTono turned around, and spoke again. "Although he might dislike hanyou, especially after that Naraku gave him so much trouble last year, he also respects strength, and is under the impression you four possess such an ability. He enjoys fighting, but is wise enough not to push away allies. And don't forget, he's seeking to expand his empire. He'll take help; just don't push him for it."

The canine daiyoukai walked off down the side of the volcano. Ayame climbed onto Chrysaetos' back, followed shortly by Rinkusu and Makoto. Rinkusu glanced at the single gem fragment in his hand, and clenched his fist around it. Silently, Chrysaetos took off and soared into the air. Beneath them, the volcano rumbled.

oOoOo

Asagi took hold of the improved Ryuuzatsume. Despite her fears, the blade did not transform, nor did she feel herself being possessed by the malevolent dragon spirit. Hanone nodded in satisfaction as he crossed the forge to take something down off the wall.

"Well, it seems focusing your youki lets you control the blade better. However, I need to see how good you are at fighting with this weapon."

As he finished speaking, he lunged for her, a twin-bladed pike in his hands. Asagi gasped and reacted on instinct, blindly turning aside Hanone's attack. She gasped in pain as the other blade on the other end of the weapon cut into her side. She looked down, her youkai slayer outfit stained with her blood. Hanone didn't stop, but spun the pike and lunged for her. Asagi leapt backwards, swinging with more effort. With a clang, her blade struck Hanone's, but again, the elderly sword smith simply turned her attack aside and lunged with the other blade, this time stabbing Asagi on the hip. She bit down on a cry of pain as she mentally planned a strategy to try and shake off her opponent. After a minute or two, she was more successfully fending off her mentor, but she had yet to score a hit. For what felt like hours, she lunged, stabbed and parried with increasingly powerful techniques, falling into a pattern of sorts. Suddenly, Hanone put aside his weapon.

"Enough for today."

Asagi blew out a sigh of relief and sheathed her sword. She walked to the steaming pool, intending to bathe. As she walked, she spoke to Hanone.

"Did you have to draw blood on me? I'll need to find something else to wear now, my youkai slayer outfit's ruined."

She knew the answer even before Hanone spoke, but she didn't care too much. After all, whether dealt by friend or foe, a flesh wound still hurt. Hanone sighed. "Asagi, an enemy won't soften their blows. Many will resort to underhanded tricks to beat you, even kill you. Your defences will have to be as varied as the enemies you fight if you want to emerge unscathed."

Seeing his pupil wanted to take a bath, Hanone walked out of the cave, leaving Asagi to undress in peace. Although he hadn't made the pool for the purposes of bathing, it still served that purpose. Asagi slipped into the water, sighing as her wounds came into contact with the heat. She looked at where she'd been cut and grimaced. Luckily, nothing vital was damaged, but it would take a day to heal. She lay back until only her head was above water, and sighed again, wondering about Rinkusu, Ayame and Makoto. How would their search for the remaining gem fragments go? Would she be able to defeat Ryuu No Taishou if she mastered Gokuryuuha? And when would she be able to return to her new home and see the others she'd grown up with again? Turning over, she began to hum, washing herself as she did so. Soon, she'd finished and she climbed out of the water, her thoughts on her upcoming return to human form. Like Rinkusu, she planned to spend the entire day resting, but with Ryuuzatsume possessed, it didn't seem likely she'd get much more than an hour of sleep. She dried herself off and pulled on her youkai slayer outfit. Opening her rucksack, she rummaged through her possessions. Half-eaten food, flint and tinder, randomly shaped and coloured stones. She grimaced as she realised she'd have to empty everything out to get rid of the muck that had built up. Running a hand through her dark green hair, she turned the pack upside down and found what she was looking for. A bar of gold, about twice the length of her hand and a couple of inches wide and thick, lay glinting in the weak sunlight. Asagi smiled and picked it up. Although she didn't know exactly how much it was worth, she knew it'd be enough to pay for a change of clothes, since her slayer outfit was all but ruined. She began to repack her bag, leaving the waste on the floor. Donning her old cape, she got up and walked out the mountain. Although it was afternoon, she decided to find the nearest town anyway and get herself a new outfit there. Outside, the sun was blocked out by snow clouds, although she could scent no imminent blizzard. Asagi set off down the mountainside, Ryuuzatsume sheathed once again. Although she wanted to be back before nightfall, the weather encouraged her to take a more relaxed pace. As she walked along, she noticed a few trees were showing signs of greenery, even though it was only February. Walking up to one, she gingerly sniffed the branch, scenting the new life within. A smile spread across her face, and she turned to continue on her way, shifting her pack to a more comfortable position. As she walked on, she caught the scent of a youkai nearby. Frowning, she drew Ryuuzatsume.

"I know you're there, show yourself!"

From the undergrowth emerged a humanoid youkai, baring its fangs at her. In one hand it carried a short sword, in the other it held a thick club. It stomped up to Asagi and spoke, its deep voice surprisingly clear.

"You wander into my territory, hanyou; I'll rip your throat out!"

The youkai swung with his sword arm, forcing Asagi to swing her sword up to block. To her shock, she found the youkai was stronger than she could have guessed, and stumbled back, her hands numb from the shockwaves that had shaken the dragon claw blade. Breathing heavily, she watched as the youkai advanced on her, sneering.

"Surely you aren't as weak as that, hanyou?"

Almost too fast to be seen, the youkai slashed down with his blade, cutting Asagi's right arm as she moved the sword to attempt a block. She winced as the blade passed through her flesh, her blood spattering the ground with crimson. Luckily, her wound was not severe. She silently willed herself to win, and slashed with her own weapon. The youkai twisted aside lazily and smacked Asagi in the jaw with his club. Asagi crumpled and fell, blood flowing down her face from the blow. The youkai laughed.

"You dare to challenge me, and you can't even land a hit on me? You're not worth the effort it would take to kill you."

A sharp kick in the ribs made Asagi cough, her mouth stained scarlet with her blood. She got up shakily, levelling her blade at the youkai. Rather than die, she willed the blade to transform, despite her terrors about unleashing Gokuryuuha. As the sword changed into its larger form, becoming suffused with a deep crimson in the process, Asagi found that the dragon spirit was not active for the moment. She raised the sword up, and a bizarre scent flooded her bloodied nose. She'd only smelt it once before, but it was unmistakeable. Glancing at her weapon, she saw with shock it was no longer red, but a brilliant hue of emerald green. Also, it had taken on a more jagged appearance. Despite her wounds, she smiled as she swung the sword.

"Emerarudo Gosunkugi!"

The blade seemed to shatter as thousands of shards of gemstones flew from where she'd slashed through the air. The youkai was peppered with hundreds of spikes, but didn't die. Asagi's jubilance melted as Ryuuzatsume reverted back to its original colour. The youkai gave a roar of rage and vanished, leaving Asagi stood on the path. She examined the blade intently, and then sheathed the sword, deciding against tempting fate. Slowly, she turned in the direction of the village, and walked towards it. In a matter of minutes, she was on the outskirts, but collapsed due to her injuries. 

oOoOo

Ayame looked off Chrysaetos' back as they flew on. Rinkusu had fallen asleep, and Makoto was studying the map. The next fragment was less than a day's flight away, and lay in the plunge pool of an enormous waterfall. Night was falling, but the giant eagle showed no signs of stopping. Just as Ayame made her way to the centre of the eagle's back, where his spikes were thickest, a deafening roar sounded from far below. Chrysaetos spoke, confirming their worst fears. 

"It's him. Ryuu No Taisho."

Ayame glanced at the head of the eagle youkai.

"Is he chasing us?"

Chrysaetos snorted.

"No. But he'll be after this gem piece, and all the others, to make himself stronger."

Ayame pondered this new information in silence. For hours, no-one spoke as Chrysaetos flew on. Suddenly, a powerful youki swept over them. Rinkusu awoke with a start and pointed over to the north. A shining pillar of purple and pink light rose up from the land.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe. I only own Rinkusu, Chrysaetos, InuTono, Ryuu No Taisho and Hanone. Makoto belongs to the author Ausir.

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 14**

**Roku's sickness**

"Look out!"

"Ah! Damn you Shion! I'll get you for that!"

"Shippo-kun! Shippo-kun!"

"Take that!"

Excited and gleeful cries came from an empty rice paddy near Kaede's village. Spring was in the air, but snow still covered the ground in many places, although it was fast melting. However, the hanyou children, along with several village children and Shippo, were having an enormous snowball fight. Kagome was helping Kaede tend to a villager who'd cut himself whilst working in a barn, and Inuyasha was out hunting. Sango and Miroku were spending increasing amounts of time shut away in their hut, and Shippo had moved in with the hanyou kids. Kaede glanced up from her work, smiling slightly at the sight of the children playing.

"Ah, it's always nice to see they aren't fighting. For real anyway."

With his usual blunt attitude, Inuyasha walked in, six dead pheasants in his hands.

"Oi, where do you want these?"

Kaede looked up at the hanyou, and silently pointed to a cupboard. Inuyasha dumped the birds and walked off. Kaede sighed.

"I did think he'd actually PUT them there."

Kagome finished tying off the bandage on the injured villager.

"Keep it dry, and try not to put too much weight on it. Come back to have it changed in two days."

The villager got up, favouring his uninjured leg.

"Thank you."

As the villager left, Kagome turned to Kaede.

"What is it you think Miroku and Sango could be doing? They hardly ever leave their hut anymore; in fact, I've only seen Miroku in the last few days, and only twice."

Kaede looked at her apprentice.

"Well, Sango did get hurt when that centipede youkai came two weeks ago and Inuyasha wasn't here."

Kagome shook her head.

"Those were hardly wounds, she barely got scratched. But she did get tired very quickly."

She turned to clean up the medicines and herbs they'd used. Kaede took hold of a poker and began to jab the fire, which was starting to die down. After a while, only glowing embers were left. Sighing, she looked up at Kagome, who had just come out of their storage room.

"Kagome, can you go and fetch the hanyou children please? I need them to go and fetch more firewood."

Kagome glanced out at the field, where the snowball fight raged.

"But they're having fun. And why is it always the hanyou children? Can't the others do it?"

"Of course the others could do it. But the hanyou children are stronger, and can bring back more wood. I have no prejudices, even though a hanyou killed Kikyo."

Kagome nodded and went out into the rice paddy. Dai was aiming a snowball at one of the village children when she called their names.

"Can you all go and fetch some firewood for Kaede please?"

Roku and Dai glanced at one another, and then began to pelt Kagome with snowballs, catching her by surprise. Giggling mischievously, the other children, human and hanyou alike followed suit. Kagome gave a shriek as the snow flew thick and fast. Inuyasha appeared from the forest, and quickly spotted the disturbance. He ran over and in seconds, was stood between the children and a snow-covered Kagome. He put his hands on his hips and frowned at the children as Kagome panted for breath.

"Shame on you brats. What were you thinking, pelting Kagome with snow?"

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha, surprised at his sensitivity.

"Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha smiled wickedly.

"You should have told me you were doing it!"

Kagome frowned, and prepared to sit Inuyasha when a snowball struck her in the mouth. Inuyasha looked around at the children, smirking.

"Fire!"

A veritable hail of snowballs pelted Kagome, knocking her off her feet. After a few minutes, the children grew tired and began to wander off. Kagome glowered murderously at Inuyasha. The older hanyou quailed under her glare and took off before Kagome could sit him into next week. Kagome sighed and turned to the five hanyou children.

"Kaede wants you all to go and bring back firewood, and don't be too long about it."

Roku sighed as he threw a final snowball in Kagome's general direction.

"Whatever, we're going."

The hanyou children walked towards the forest, none of them noticing Ai talking with Shippo. The smallest of the hanyou children giggled as Shippo used his fox fire to make a jet of blue flame. After a few seconds, Shippo stopped, blowing out a long breath.

"Whew, that was tiring. What do you want to do now Ai?"

Ai glanced up at the other hanyou.

"Ai wants Shippo to come with her and help fetch firewood."

Shippo smiled up at Ai.

"Ok, I'll come with you. Perhaps we'll…"

A loud roar drowned out the rest of Shippo's words. Towering over them was an enormous kitsune, a five-tail. Its' fur was thick and pale yellow in colour, and its' eyes shone maliciously. Rearing back its' head, it roared in a strangely high-pitched whine. Shippo could feel his fighting spirit being cowed by the roars of the kitsune, and behind him in the village, panicked villagers ran. Inuyasha emerged from Kaede's hut, Tessaiga clearing its' sheath as he ran into the rice paddy. The kitsune looked from Shippo and Ai to Inuyasha, and seemed to decide on the larger hanyou. Inuyasha smirked as the kitsune lunged for him, and leapt aside easily. He could sense the kitsune's youki, and swung his sword, releasing a Kaze no Kizu in the general direction of the enemy. The kitsune was able to dodge the brunt of the attack, but was still knocked down. Inuyasha snarled slightly.

"Shippo, you and Ai get back! I'll handle this so-called youkai."

Shippo ran forward, launching his best Kitsune bi. The larger kitsune roared contemptuously as the blue fire singed its' fur. Inuyasha turned around to glare at Shippo.

"Idiot, I said run!"

The kitsune took advantage of the distraction to launch its' own fox fire, engulfing Inuyasha in a torrent of purplish-blue flame. Inuyasha leapt out of the fire and swung down hard with Tessaiga, finishing off the kitsune. He then sheathed his sword and smacked Shippo over the head, prompting a wail from the youkai.

"Next time, go straight away! What if that kitsune had…?"

"Inuyasha-san! Inuyasha-san!"

Inuyasha looked up to see Moegi and Dai running towards him. He turned around as the two younger hanyou ran up.

"What do you kids want?"

Moegi looked up, still panting from running so much.

"Roku-san is acting strange."

Inuyasha snorted.

"Tell me something new."

Dai glowered up at the taller hanyou.

"Idiot, he's caught a fever of some kind, we need you to move him back to Kaede's."

Inuyasha groaned and ran a hand over his brow.

"Where is he?"

Moegi pointed towards the west.

"Over by a pine tree, he was about to gather some firewood like Kaede asked us to, when some yellow and black bees, very big ones, flew out of the tree and stung him."

Inuyasha's eyes shot open and he looked at Moegi.

"Large bees? Damn, looks like a few of Naraku's Saimyoushou survived."

Inuyasha took off through the forest, reaching Roku in a matter of minutes. The smaller hanyou certainly _looked_ ill, and a number of angry red welts marked his neck. As Inuyasha arrived, Roku looked up, his eyes unfocused and watery. Inuyasha picked up the drowsy hanyou and ran back to the village.

oOoOo

Half an hour later, Roku was shaking violently, his eyes wild and not able to distinguish anyone from anyone else. Kaede had dressed his wounds and forced the hanyou to drink a foul-smelling concoction of herbs, but the herb to cure the potent toxin of the Saimyoushou was a very rare plant, found only in a few places, none of which were nearby. Kagome's medicines were having no affect either. Everyone watched the delirious hanyou quaking, thinking hard of what to do. Inuyasha suddenly slapped his hand, narrowly missing Myoga, who had been sucking his blood without his notice.

"Oi, Myoga, can't you drain the poison from Roku?"

All eyes turned to the tiny flea youkai. Myoga sat on Inuyasha's hand and spoke.

"No, I can't suck the poison out. Saimyoushou poison turns to a sort of youki when it enters the blood of a youkai or a hanyou. But there might be someone who can help."

Kagome suddenly punched one hand into the other.

"Of course! Jinenji! He gave us the herb to cure Kirara when she was poisoned by Naraku's shoki. Inuyasha, do you think we could go?"

Inuyasha looked over at Kagome and sighed.

"Fine, just let me get us there this time. Leave your iron cart thing here."

Kagome nodded and scooped up her bag. Inuyasha glowered at her.

"Why'd you need to take that thing?"

Kagome returned his stare, looking quite irritated.

"So we can carry the herbs back if need be. Can we just go before Roku gets worse?"

Inuyasha snorted and squatted down.

"Fine, get on and hold on tight."

Kagome climbed onto Inuyasha's back. In moments, they were speeding through the countryside towards where Jinenji lived with his mother. After perhaps half an hour, Jinenji's farm came into view. The giant hanyou could be seen easily, dragging a plough of sorts through the half-frozen fields. It didn't take him long to turn round and notice Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Inuyasha-sama, Kagome-chan, I have not seen you in a long time. What is it I can do for you?"

Kagome smiled and explained what had happened to Roku in the forest. Jinenji listened intently, and when Kagome had finished, nodded thoughtfully.

"Your young friend chose the worst time to be poisoned by the Saimyoushou. There are only two places near here where the antidote grows, and because the weather is still cold, none of the fruits will be ripe or even grown."

Jinenji turned and walked into his home. Kagome looked discouraged to hear that the antidote was not ready, and even Inuyasha looked downhearted by the news. Soon, Jinenji walked out of the hut, carrying a small bottle, not unlike the ones Kagome had used to carry the Shikon shards in. Jinenji smiled and held the bottle up to them.

"In this bottle is the preserved fruit of one of those plants. Take it to your young hanyou friend, but do not let him drink it all. Two or three drops should be enough for one so young."

Inuyasha took the bottle from Jinenji, nodding slightly.

"Don't you want something in…"

He broke off as Myoga's bite distracted him. He was about to deal a hearty slap to the flea when realisation struck him.

"Myoga, you can mix antidotes for poison. Stay here with Jinenji for a day and help him mix up potions. Is that good enough pay, Jinenji?"

Jinenji nodded. Myoga jumped down and ran to Jinenji, climbing onto the large horse hanyou easily. Kagome and Inuyasha waved farewell, amid promises to return.

oOoOo

Inuyasha and Kagome had returned and delivered the medicine to Roku, who had taken it and seemed to be responding to the antidote well. Inuyasha sat up on a tree branch, Kagome by his side. For some reason known only to the silver haired hanyou, Inuyasha was very quiet and seemed lost in his own world. Kagome was about to ask if anything was the matter when Inuyasha broke the silence. It was dusk, and a brilliant star shone over the western horizon.

"Kagome?"

Kagome was quite surprised at the soft tone of his voice. Normally, Inuyasha spoke with a blunt tone and didn't speak with much trace of kindness to many people. She turned to him, deciding on the spot to not mess up this chance to show him he was cared for in the world, even if it was only by her.

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

"You wondered, didn't you? About how I made that medicine when you had a cold?"

Kagome thought for a moment, finally recalling a time not long before the Shichinintai had been brought back, when one of her illnesses had actually been genuine.

"Oh, I remember that, yes. Did Kaede give you the ingredients?"

"No, I went out and hunted for them myself. But you asked how I knew to make medicine so well. It was, a long time ago. Back when I was not much more than a pup. M-my mother made it for me when I caught a cold."

Kagome gently put her hand on his shoulder, pleasantly surprised that Inuyasha did not shrug it off. She leant closer to the hanyou, and whispered up into his ears.

"You really loved her didn't you?"

Inuyasha trembled ever so slightly, but nodded almost imperceptibly. He was silent for a long time, and by the time he spoke again, the sky was dark purple.

"Before I met you and Kikyo, she was the only one to accept me without question. Yes, I did. Once, not long before she, well, you know, we both sat watching the sunset just like this. I miss her even now."

Kagome gently rubbed the back of his head. Inuyasha sighed and moved ever so slightly closer to her.

"Seeing Roku sick like that, reminded me of when my mother sat tending to me when I wasn't well."

Kagome nodded, but Inuyasha said no more. Both sat in the tree branches as the last rays of sunlight faded, decorating the sky with a thousand glimmering stars. Inuyasha helped Kagome down out of the tree and they silently walked back to Kaede's hut, both holding each other's hands. High overhead, a brilliant shooting star flashed through the sky.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe. I only own Rinkusu, Chrysaetos, InuTono, Ryuu No Taisho and Hanone. Makoto belongs to the author Ausir.

Rated for bloody violence and implied rape.

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 15**

**Evil inside**

Asagi awoke slowly, groggily taking note of her surroundings. She was laid on a straw pallet with a rough cloth blanket covering her, and her arm was dressed. A young child was sat near her, a steaming bowl of some kind of stew in his hand. He smiled at Asagi as she stirred, and almost immediately began trying to feed her. Asagi smiled wearily, sniffed idly at the warm food, felt her appetite rise, and let the human feed her the entire bowl. She was tired, far more than she should have been, and slowly sat up. Seemingly, casting the Emerarudo Gosunkugi was not advisable except in life or death situations. She was clad in a pale blue and green kimono that ended just below her knees, but thankfully no sharp blasts of pain ran through her body. The boy flushed red as she stood up, and silently pointed to where Ryuuzatsume lay sheathed. Asagi reached for her bag, and withdrew the bar of gold she'd planned on trading for food and clothing. She pressed the gold bar into the hands of the boy.

"That'll be enough for my food and clothing, won't it?"

The boy took hold of the gold bar, gaping up at Asagi. She smiled and took hold of Ryuuzatsume with her uninjured hand, pushing the sheathed blade through her sash. Finally, the boy spoke up.

"M-my name is Soku. Are you really a youkai?"

Asagi turned to look Soku in the eye.

"No, I'm a hanyou. Was it you who found me? I can remember collapsing on the edge of this village, but nothing until just now."

Soku nodded.

"Yes, I c-came from gathering wood and I s-saw your blade shoot green stones at that youkai. Y-you must b-be very strong."

Asagi opened her mouth to respond when her senses went into overdrive. Looking at the entrance to the small hovel, she saw a black cat enter. Her eyes widened as the cat sauntered up to her. She tried to draw her sword, but was shaking too badly to get a grip on the hilt of the weapon. Instead, she opted for the next best alternative. Soku looked on in amazement as Asagi dropped the sword and dashed out of the hovel and leapt onto the roof. He looked down at the cat.

"I wonder what's wrong with her?"

From the rooftop, Asagi got up, still shaking from her close encounter. She looked around, and saw the village was of a modest size. She flexed her supple form, making the most of the sunlight that shone through the clouds. High overhead, a hawk soared in circles, eventually diving into a nearby copse and emerging again with a small bird in its talons. She sniffed the air, picking up a strange scent. Although her sense of smell was nowhere near as good as Ayame's, it was still far superior to a human's. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, but then her instincts kicked in as arrows streaked up towards her. A large party of humans were riding into the village on horseback, but their cries of battle made her realise the worst. These were not the village men coming back from a hunting trip, but raiders come to loot the settlement of everything of any value, and kill all who opposed them. Asagi leapt down off the roof and ran to the small hut where Soku had fed her mere minutes ago. She pushed the door aside, and there was the child. Crouching down, Asagi tried to ignore the wails of shock and agony as the barbaric raiders began to despoil all they could find.

"Listen Soku, get on my back and we can hide in the woods. I'll creep back here and try to scare the bandits off when you're safe."

Soku was huddled up and crying. Thankfully, the cat was nowhere to be seen. Asagi moved closer to the small boy and eased him towards her. Slowly, Soku looked up at her.

"We will come back?"

Asagi nodded. Soku climbed onto her back, untying the sling around her wound. Asagi winced, but bit down on her pain and stood up, Soku riding on her back. She took off out of the village and into the nearby forest. She came to a stop near a large pine tree with a heap of snow around its base, panting for breath. Soku climbed down off her back and looked around. Asagi glanced up at the sky, blowing out a long breath.

"Well, we're in the middle of the woods here. Those bandits won't find us easily here, Soku. Soku?"

She turned to look at the small boy. Soku was knelt on the ground, rubbing his eyes. Asagi approached the youngster and knelt down until she was at his level. Although not as tall as Rinkusu or Ayame were, she was still over a head taller than Soku. She tilted the boys' chin back, only to be knocked back into the snowdrift as Soku flung himself on her, smiling.

"You saved me, Asagi-sama, you saved me! I'll do everything I can to thank you one day!"

Asagi looked surprised, as well as slightly irritated she had been knocked back into a mound of half melted snow, but returned the child's hug anyway. Slowly, she eased herself up out of the snow, and got to her feet.

"Alright Soku, you can worry about paying me back later. For now, I have to sneak back into the village and retrieve my sword. Will you be alright on your own?"

Soku glanced at the tree nearby. Asagi nodded, and began to climb the huge tree with the child holding onto her back. After scaling perhaps a dozen feet, she climbed out onto a thick tree limb and prised Soku off her back, sitting her small friend on the branch.

"I won't be long, try to stay still until I get back. I might be able to survive a fall like this, but you're just a small boy. If you fall from up here, you might break a bone. Just sit tight, keep quiet, and I'll come back for you, ok Soku?"

Soku nodded, and relaxed against the tree trunk, swinging his legs as he hummed to himself. Asagi leapt down nimbly, landing on her feet easily. She glanced up at Soku, satisfied that the child was in no immediate danger, and began a stealthy, meandering path back towards the village. Already it was late afternoon, and the daylight was starting to fade away slightly. Her wound still pained her, but the pain wasn't too much for her to take, and she set off towards her target. After what seemed like an age, she crept up to the edge of the village. A few people lay dead on the ground, and one or two bandits were chasing fat chickens, trying to catch the poultry for eating. Asagi's golden eyes narrowed as she saw Soku's hut, which was near three larger huts, two of which were on fire. The third had the disconcerting scent of blood around it, and even as she watched, a scream of pain sounded from inside the hut. Asagi winced, not liking to imagine what might be happening to the unfortunate villagers. She crept from cover to cover, slowly getting closer to Soku's home. Finally, she entered the small hut and saw Ryuuzatsume where she'd left it. She grasped the hilt in her left hand and drew the sword, but didn't let her youki flow into it. She pushed the hilt through her obi and tied it on, and gave a grim smile of satisfaction. As she brought her right hand up to steady her slightly tremulous grip on the weapon, a shiver of precognition ran through her, and she flung herself to the side as a war axe thudded into the ground where she'd been squatting. Two bandits leered at her as she spun around to face her attackers.

"Well, a youkai raiding the bits of scum we're not using. That's a nice sword you've got, youkai; give it to me and we won't kill you."

Asagi snorted as she tried to get a firm hold on Ryuuzatsume.

"Why don't you go and fight real warriors, instead of desecrating the weak and helpless?"

The shorter of the two bandits laughed raucously.

"Because _real warriors_, as you call them, youkai, are not as, well, _rewarding_ as these peasants."

The tone of voice in which he said the word 'rewarding' made Asagi's eyes pulse red. A quiet voice spoke into her mind, seemingly coming from nowhere.

"Asagi, are you going to let these scum ruin everything these villagers have? Will you run off whilst innocent lives are raped of all they own?"

Asagi trembled with rage as she slowly got to her feet, her youki building and flowing into Ryuuzatsume. The blade transformed to its' larger form, but a disconcerting smell wafted to her sensitive nose. She ignored it, and slowly advanced on the two scared-looking bandits.

"I'm going to make you suffer for every life you've ruined. Make peace with your gods now, because you won't have another chance."

Asagi's eyes had changed to the colour of dried blood, and pale markings appeared on the back of her hands. With a grace and power she had never imagined before, much less used, she swung and slashed through one of the bandits, ending the man's life. Dark blood sprayed everywhere as his lifeless corpse fell to the ground, his companion running off. Asagi walked outside, a thirst for blood engulfing her like a raging fever. Unseen to her, a hulking raider crept up on her and smacked her over the head with a thick club. Asagi fell unconscious.

What felt like mere seconds later, Asagi regained consciousness with an enormous headache, and biting pains in her wrists and ankles. She tried to raise a hand to her head, but found her limbs were restrained. She could hear whimpers from all around her, and soon saw that she was bound in a hut with perhaps a dozen other women, two of which were bloodied.

"Wh-what happened?"

One of the girls looked at her companion.

"Even if she IS a youkai, we need her help! Perhaps she could chase these raiders off!"

Other voices made themselves heard.

"When she's done that, she'll turn on us and kill us as well!"

"I agree, she's too dangerous to be left alive."

"But what choice do we have?"

Asagi sighed and spoke up.

"Look, I'm not a youkai…"

Scathing voices cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

"You have pointed ears and golden eyes! You MUST be an evil being, I don't know why these raiders have you hostage with us."

One of the women began to cry.

"I-it's so they c-can break us with t-two choices; death from a y-youkai or life as the w-worst kind of slave."

Asagi felt her temper flare, even though she felt sorry for what the bandits must have done to the women.

"Look, let me talk! I'm…I'm a hanyou! Not a mindless killer!"

One of the girls looked at Asagi in amazement.

"Y-you? You're a hanyou?"

Asagi nodded and turned her back on the women. In seconds, she felt her bonds being picked at, and soon she was free. She got up and looked around for her weapon.

"Did any of you see my sword? A big, wavy-edged red sword?"

One of the women indicated a shelf, on which lay Ryuuzatsume. Asagi crossed the room and took hold of her sword, and then began to cut the women free. They freed women stood in a bunch, although Asagi was smaller than all of them. A scream of pain and terror broke the evening stillness, instantly drawing Asagi's attention and rage. She ran out of the hut and saw the bandits gathered in a group near a large fire. Her eyes flared red with fury, and she raised her sword. One or two of the bandits turned to see her, but as Asagi raised her sword, the blade turned a lurid violet-black colour. Thick, sulphurous smoke emanated from the blade, and through the smoke came the spectral figure of a serpentine dragon, roaring in a chilling, raspy manner. Asagi heard a soft chuckle as she held the sword steady. The bandits froze in terror as she swung the sword down, unleashing the colossal jaki trapped within.

"Gokuryuuha!"

A spherical twister exploded from the blade with the force of an erupting volcano, sending a pinkish-purple column of light into the sky. The bandits were slaughtered as the apocalyptic blast petered out, much faster than it had before. Asagi gaped in horror at the blade, realising it was the trapped dragon spirit that had goaded her into killing so many. An orb of bright blue exploded in the air above her, and Chrysaetos flew down, Makoto, Ayame and Rinkusu on his back. As the giant eagle youkai landed, Rinkusu leapt off his back and approached Asagi.

"Asagi, what happened? Did you use Gokuryuuha again?"

Asagi nodded miserably, sheathing the sword.

"What's worse is that it felt like the right thing to do to kill those people."

Rinkusu spoke up, looking in sorrow at the sobbing hanyou.

"Asagi, those bandits lived their lives destroying the livelihood of these villagers, and you saw what else they did to them, didn't you? Would you feel better if you let them go, so they could harm and kill other innocents?"

She shook her head as Ayame and Makoto went through the village, helping to look for survivors. Makoto winced as he entered one hut, and turned to Ayame.

"Don't let Asagi or Rinkusu see this, it's not for their eyes."

Ayame walked over and glanced in the hut, wincing as she saw what lay inside. She covered her sensitive nose and turned around to look for more survivors. Suddenly she spun around and leapt back as an ogre youkai smashed the spot she'd been stood on mere seconds before. Several villagers screamed as the dark skinned ogre reared up and roared at Ayame. A crafty smile crossed the wolf youkai's face as she yelled to Rinkusu.

"Rinkusu! Throw me the gem fragment; I'm going to fight this ogre myself!"

Rinkusu broke off from hugging Asagi and threw the glittering green shard to Ayame, who caught it expertly. Clutching the shard in one hand and her katana in the other, she leapt clean over the ogre and stabbed her sword into the ground. Even as the ogre turned around to face her, a barrage of razor-edged leaves flew up from the ground and destroyed the ogre easily. Ayame sheathed her katana just as Makoto came up.

"That was spectacular, Asagi, I haven't seen you do that attack before."

Ayame sighed.

"I'm Ayame. AYAME, say it with me."

Makoto gave a slight frown.

"I'm partly blind, not mentally retarded."

Ayame shrugged and muttered something about not being too sure. She threw the gem shard back to Rinkusu and walked towards Chrysaetos. Rinkusu took hold of the shard and gave Asagi a hug before turning back to the eagle youkai. He took hold of the map and looked it over.

"Well, we've got the shard that was in that volcano, and it seems the next one is in the plunge pool of a waterfall. Sesshoumaru still has one, and Ryuu No Taishou has passed the others on to a warlord."

One of the villagers looked up.

"Warlord? Surely you aren't referring to the warlord Akashiri?"

Rinkusu turned around.

"Akashiri?"

"Yes, he has a fortress in the old bend of a river. Recently, he's been very active, and called all soldiers to his castle, leaving bandit raids like this one very common. He's seeking some old talisman, because it will give him the strength of youkai and make him immortal."

Asagi looked up.

"This talisman, it isn't the Dragon Talisman is it?"

The villager shook his head.

"No, it's another one buried somewhere else. The Dragon Talisman is several miles to the northwest of here, the other one is on the far south shore of a distant land."

Asagi nodded and walked into the forest as Ayame and Rinkusu mounted Chrysaetos. Makoto walked over and climbed onto the eagles back too. After several minutes, Asagi came back, Soku riding on her back. She set the child down, but not before the little boy had kissed her on the cheek and run off giggling. Asagi smiled wanly and climbed onto Chrysaetos. The giant eagle flared his wings and took off, heading towards the giant waterfall. After a few minutes of flying, the waterfall came into view.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe. I only own Rinkusu, Chrysaetos, InuTono, Ryuu No Taisho and Hanone. Makoto belongs to the author Ausir.

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 16**

**General Akashiri appears! Rinkusu's dilemma**

Chrysaetos flew in low and landed on a large flat rock near the plunge pool. Makoto was the first to dismount the eagle youkai, looking thoroughly glad to be on solid ground again. Rinkusu and Ayame climbed down in short order, but Asagi had dozed off and showed no signs of stirring. Rinkusu's eyes sparkled at the thought of teasing Asagi a little to lighten her mood, and beckoned to Chrysaetos. The giant eagle leant forward, the better to hear what the male hanyou was saying. He gave a rough laugh at Rinkusu's idea, and squatted down near to the water. Asagi hadn't moved at all, and slept on peacefully. Rinkusu climbed back onto the eagle's back and silently approached Asagi. The mouse hanyou didn't do as much as budge. Inhaling deeply, Rinkusu gave an ear-splitting yowl, enough to startle Ayame and Makoto. However, if the young onmyouji and the wolf youkai were surprised, it was nothing compared to Asagi's reaction. Sub-consciously hearing the battle cry of a cat-like youkai, Asagi jerked awake with a cry of shock, but lost her balance on Chrysaetos' back, falling into the water. Makoto, Ayame and Rinkusu burst out laughing as she spluttered and got up, soaking wet. Asagi glowered up at Rinkusu.

"You did that, Rinkusu! I swear, I'm going to make you pay for that one!"

Rinkusu gasped for air in the middle of laughing, smiling at his irate companion. The expression on her face was beyond priceless, and he dissolved into another fit of laughter.

"Oh come on Asagi, it was just a joke! Have a sense of humour."

Asagi climbed out of the water and shook herself to try and get dry. She relented somewhat, and smiled back at him.

"Fine, but I'm going to get my own back on you. Just you wait."

Rinkusu was about to make a reply when the roar from the waterfall suddenly died down to nothing. Ayame frowned, looking up at the waterfall.

"Something's holding back the water. Look, the water from the plunge pool is drying out!"

Sure enough, the water level was rapidly dropping. Before long, the muddy bottom of the pool was clearly visible. Glinting here and there were specks of gold, but amongst the gold was one very small shard of green. Makoto gasped.

"Look, the shard we've been trying to find! Do you think that's the last one?"

Ayame moved towards the edge of the dried out pool.

"Last or not, we still need to get it. But this all looks like a trap to me."

Makoto moved closer, intending to jump into the empty pool and retrieve the gem shard. He turned and yelled to Rinkusu.

"How many shards are left?"

Rinkusu took the map from Chrysaetos and looked it over hastily.

"Well, the map points out seven, and we've got one and are here, so that writes off two. But there's another five to get, Sesshoumaru has one, and that warlord Akashiri has the rest."

Makoto shrugged as he climbed into the empty pool. Nothing happened as he cautiously moved forward. Ayame, Rinkusu, Asagi and Chrysaetos watched as he got ever closer to the gem fragment. Makoto took a deep breath and took hold of the glittering green shard, but still nothing happened. Makoto calmly walked back to his companions when a winged shadow passed over him, eclipsing the sun. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Makoto looked closely at the shard in his hand, and then walked up to Asagi.

"Well, this is your quest Asagi, so here you go. One gem shard."

Asagi smiled slightly as she took the glinting fragment off him, looking at it. It was much larger than the others they'd found so far, and she pocketed the gem. Makoto walked off to a nearby copse of pine trees when a horn sounded very close to them. Chrysaetos took to the air as a company of humans approached. Rinkusu looked grim as he watched the approaching soldiers, wielding pikes, wakizashi and katanas, even a few crossbows. The soldiers silently encircled them, holding their weapons ready. Asagi stood back to back with Rinkusu as Ayame silently drew her katana in case things got out of hand. The soldiers began to murmur amongst themselves.

"These mononoke don't look that threatening."

"Neither did that kitsune we killed yesterday."

"You, youkai! Drop your weapons!"

Rinkusu snarled, lowering his halberd to the ground. Ayame sheathed her katana, but just as Asagi made to sheath Ryuuzatsume, a shiver of precognition ran through her, and she rolled to the side as several arrows peppered the ground. Rinkusu gave a cry of pain; two of the arrows had buried themselves in his back, and Ayame was very nearly hit as well. Asagi got up, the jaki welling up in Ryuuzatsume without her even noticing. As she charged at the soldiers, their general appeared. Asagi was pushed back, and she stumbled uneasily, tripping into the empty plunge pool. The general looked at her and gave a derisive laugh.

"Clearly your skills are far from mastered, youkai. I am General Akashiri, and I'm here for your gem fragments."

Asagi's golden eyes widened in shock. How could the human general possibly know they had two gem fragments with them? Her eyes narrowed as she climbed out of the plunge pool.

"I don't know how you came to the conclusion we have gem shards with us, but you aren't getting anything off us."

General Akashiri smiled, unnerving Asagi as she walked up to Rinkusu. He called over his shoulder, and a youkai slayer walked forward. The newcomer was at least six foot tall, and held what looked like two katanas welded together at the hilt. Asagi frowned as she readied herself to fight this opponent. She didn't need warning that he might be more than she could handle. Ayame walked to her friend and whispered into her ear.

"Asagi, we have to find a way out of here. Makoto could be dead, and I've no idea where Chrysaetos might be."

Before the mouse hanyou could respond, a sharp explosion caught them all by surprise. A horrific stench engulfed Asagi, Rinkusu and Ayame. Raucous laughter greeted them as Ayame collapsed. Asagi coughed as the poison smoke began to take its' toll on her. The youkai slayer laughed cruelly.

"How's that, youkai? It's a special poison that only works on youkai and hanyou, and humans are totally immune to it. Take your time to die."

Asagi snarled, her hand clutching the hilt of Ryuuzatsume for comfort. But even as she drew the sword, her strength failed and she collapsed, unconscious and poisoned. Ayame was choking and making a valiant effort to regain her feet, but was failing slowly. Rinkusu was seemingly in a coma, having been shot in the back and now poisoned, the lynx hanyou was in a very bad state. General Akashiri smirked and walked towards where Asagi had dropped the gem shard Makoto had given her. The youkai slayer twirled his double-ended sword and approached Asagi herself, searching her pack for any other fragments. Quicker than the human eye could follow, Asagi swept the youkai slayer's feet from under him, knocking him to the ground with the last of her strength. Scowling, the youkai slayer got back up and positioned his sword over Asagi's neck.

"Kiss the dirt, hanyou."

Out of nowhere, a whip of luminous green impaled the youkai slayer through the neck and flung him backwards, scarlet blood fountaining out of his slashed throat. Asagi coughed weakly and looked up. Walking calmly towards them was none other than Sesshoumaru, his sword Bakusaiga in his hand. A beam-like attack shot down from above, dispersing the poisonous smog. Chrysaetos flew lower, ready to attack again. His giant wings were fanning away the toxic smoke that remained. General Akashiri had already fled, and his soldiers surrounded Sesshoumaru. The majestic daiyoukai looked at the samurai scathingly, and sheathed Bakusaiga. Even as the samurai closed in, a green whip of energy emerged from Sesshoumaru's fingertips, slashing through the samurai as if they were made of paper. He looked down at Asagi with something like contempt in his stoic gaze, and when he spoke, it was in a flat monotone, yet tinged with something like menace.

"Get up, hanyou."

Asagi got to her feet unsteadily. Ayame had vanished, her scent trail leading in the general direction of Hanone's mountain. Makoto returned from wherever it was he'd been, one of his golden throwing knives at the ready. Rinkusu lay in the cold dirt, barely breathing. Asagi forgot her lethargy and rushed to the male hanyou's side, worried that he'd perished from the poison.

"Rinkusu? Rinkusu, wake up, please."

Sesshoumaru looked at the two hanyou and gave Asagi an impatient look, but made no move to try and chivvy them on. Asagi did her utmost to bring Rinkusu to his feet as Chrysaetos landed, thinking to let the lynx hanyou rest on the eagle's back. After much effort, struggling, and one very embarrassing scene where Rinkusu had flinched and somehow ended up on top of Asagi, the male hanyou lay on the eagle youkai's back, sleeping fitfully. Makoto silently climbed onto Chrysaetos and began to rummage through Asagi's backpack, hoping to find either something to eat or some form of medication that could be given to their poisoned companion. Sesshoumaru watched them, then, as if deciding talking with Asagi would cause him no pain, spoke to the female hanyou.

"You have encountered my uncle, hanyou, and he told you I would require your aid in expanding my empire."

Asagi glanced over her shoulder, turning to face Sesshoumaru properly.

"Yes, Lord InuTono said you may need assistance with the local youkai and human populations."

"Eliminate the human lord, Akashiri, and I will permit you to remain in my land, hanyou. For now, you would be wise to rest your lynx companion."

Having said his piece, cyan light enveloped Sesshoumaru as he teleported away. Asagi looked over her shoulder at where Makoto was vainly trying to pour water down Rinkusu's throat, and sighed deeply, knowing that for now, Rinkusu's life hung in the balance. Deciding to do something constructive, she drew Ryuuzatsume and smiled slightly as the blade transformed almost immediately, and without her having to pour her youki into it like she normally did. Feeling encouraged at the prospect of being stronger, she began to try mentally scouring her own youki for the spot that allowed her to scent clear water. Her nose was having other ideas, and even when the blade turned slightly less red, she still could not scent anything. Sighing, she slammed the sword point-down into the earth in frustration.

"Makoto, how's Rinkusu doing?"

Makoto looked up from his attempts to give Rinkusu a drink.

"No worse or better from what I can tell."

Asagi's mood softened.

"I'd like to know how things could get…"

A hoarse laugh sounded from above her, cutting her off in mid speech.

"Don't say 'I'd like to know how things could get worse', hanyou. They just did, to a degree a half-breed like you couldn't begin to fathom!"

Towering over them was Ryuu No Taisho himself. The enormous dragon smirked evilly at them. Asagi frowned as she tugged Ryuuzatsume out of the ground. She turned to yell over her shoulder.

"Makoto! You, Rinkusu and Chrysaetos get out of here! It's too dangerous for you!"

Ryuu No Taisho laughed.

"And I suppose I'll be a breeze for a mouse hanyou who hasn't even mastered her sword without the aid of a gem shard? Well, if you want to entertain me, brat, here I am. But I WILL fight back."

The dragon daiyoukai opened his cavernous maw, unleashing his toxic ball of lightning attack at the ground where Asagi stood. Gritting her teeth, Asagi swung Ryuuzatsume up and, to her amazement, slashed through the orb, splitting the attack into two. Ryuu No Taisho laughed as the attack was deflected. Already, Makoto and Rinkusu had fled on Chrysaetos, now a mere smudge in the sky. Asagi gripped the sword as if it was her lifeline. Ryuu No Taisho looked down at Asagi with a grin.

"Well, perhaps you aren't as weak as I imagined. You saw the weak point in my attack and cut it accordingly, eh?"

Asagi made no response, but took a good few paces back. Although she couldn't scent any difference in the blade, it had turned emerald green. Evidently, it didn't matter that the youki surrounding the blade wasn't hers. As long as there was enough, she could unleash her emerald attack all she wanted. However, as she swung her blade and loosed the first volley of emerald spikes, Ryuu No Taisho reined in his youki and assumed a human form, missing Asagi's attack by a healthy margin. As a human, Ryuu No Taisho looked fairly normal, but gave off an aura that suggested he was not to be trifled with. He drew his katana slowly, smirking at Asagi, then suddenly charged her, his katana catching her in the side before she could retaliate or defend herself. Winded, Asagi panted for breath and tried to swipe in retaliation at the dragon daiyoukai, but he easily caught her blade on his. He smirked as Asagi pressed with all her might, and then suddenly tilted his blade down, catching her off-balance and making her stumble. Before Asagi could register her frustration, Ryuu No Taisho had knocked her to the ground and had the tip of his katana resting just over her heart. Smiling complacently, Ryuu No Taisho looked at his floored adversary.

"Any final words before I cut your heart out, hanyou?"

Asagi drew in a deep breath as she clutched Ryuuzatsume, still bright green in colour.

"Just two."

"And what might those be?"

"Emerarudo Gosunkugi!"

A hail of emerald spikes flew up at Ryuu No Taisho, too close to miss. The daiyoukai snarled as dozens of small wounds appeared on his body, none critical, but painful nevertheless. Asagi got to her feet whilst her opponent was distracted, preparing to fire off a second volley. Ryuu No Taisho blocked a downwards slash from Asagi, and then retaliated with a powerful swipe that sent shockwaves coursing over the sword, knocking it out of her hands. Asagi winced as her hands went numb. To her side, Ryuuzatsume had reverted back to its' dull crimson colour. A vicious kick to her belly left Asagi out of breath and in pain to boot, and she fell to the ground, gasping for air. Ryuu No Taisho walked up to her and rested his katana over her neck.

"Lick the ground, hanyou."

A sudden beam of dark blue struck Ryuu No Taisho, knocking the daiyoukai back. Asagi wearily opened one eye and glanced at where the attack had come from. High above them was Chrysaetos, hovering as he prepared a second attack. Ryuu No Taisho snarled, and turned to leave. He stopped, and called over his shoulder.

"One day hanyou, I will kill you myself."

His form blurred, and then vanished completely. Chrysaetos wasted no time in flying down to where Asagi lay. The eagle youkai nudged her gently, enough to provoke a reaction from the worn and beaten hanyou.

"You don't seem to be in any real trouble, Asagi. Climb on my back, and we'll go to where Makoto and Rinkusu are."

Asagi grabbed hold of her sword and used it as a makeshift crutch to help her walk. Every inch of her body ached, especially her side and hands where she'd been hit by Ryuu No Taisho. Eventually, she sheathed the sword and climbed onto the eagle youkai's spiky back, wrapping her arms around one of the spikes to make sure she didn't fall off. As Chrysaetos flew into the air, she could feel an urge to sleep. Barely ten minutes later, Chrysaetos was flying down to where Makoto was tending to Rinkusu in the fringes of a large forest. Asagi woke up, bleary eyed and sore all over. She stumbled off Chrysaetos' back and walked to where Makoto sat. A small fire was going, and Makoto had obviously been hunting, for roasting over the fire were two dead rabbits. Asagi blew out a long breath and looked at Rinkusu. Never before had she seen someone look so sick. His skin had taken on a green hue, his eyes were shut, and each breath was drawn with great effort, as if each was his last. When she touched his left hand, she recoiled in shock, feeling how cold he was. She glanced at Makoto, who was mixing some sort of potion with several herbs. As she curiously took a sniff, the pungent aroma somehow made her feel better. She spoke up, looking at her human friend.

"Will he be alright?"

Makoto glanced up at her, and silently returned to stirring the small pot. After what felt like an eternity, he spoke up.

"It's hard to tell. The poison has spread throughout his entire body, and I'm not sure how effective this potion will be on a lynx hanyou. I only know for sure that he's not in a good way."

"Is he still conscious?"

"No, he passed out a while ago. If he doesn't regain consciousness soon, he might die."

Asagi felt numb inside. Although she'd barely known Rinkusu for more than three weeks, the prospect of him dying was unbearable to her. He'd been a steady friend, reliable and more than willing to do his utmost for her. She'd even begun to nurture romantic feelings towards him, in spite of their relatively short time together. Suddenly, she glanced up at Makoto.

"You said you don't know how effective that potion'll be on a lynx hanyou? Have you had dealings with other hanyou besides Rinkusu and me?"

Makoto looked up again, in the middle of testing the rabbits to see if they were cooked.

"Yes, last summer before I came north I encountered a bat hanyou called Shiori. I helped out with a youkai problem her village was having, and when she got poisoned with a similar kind of smoke I made this exact potion for her."

Asagi frowned in thought as she looked at Rinkusu. She sighed and then turned her attention to her sword. A slight tinge of black tainted the blade ever since she had attacked Ryuu No Taisho, but had dismissed it up until now as something wrong with her rather than her weapon. A faint but distinctive odour of sulphur wafted from the stained sword, making her recoil in disgust. She shivered slightly as the cold wind blew at her, prompting her to dig through her bag for anything that might double as a blanket. She pulled a somewhat tattered blanket out of the bag, but just as she made to wrap herself up in it, Rinkusu shivered involuntarily. She looked at her sick companion, sighed, and covered him with the blanket as best she could. Makoto nudged her and passed her a bowl of dubious-looking food, but she didn't refuse for fear of hurting his feelings. She picked at her meal, worry over Rinkusu nullifying her appetite. A roar from nearby made her jump, and she got up wearily, her hand flying to the hilt of Ryuuzatsume as something approached through the undergrowth.

I decided to add in a couple of humorous lines, sort of a reward for you guys putting up with my drivel for so long. The next chapter won't take quite so long, work's been driving me insane of late.

Omake 1: The reason why hanyou are hated by humans

Makoto looked up from his cooking to glance at Asagi.

"So you're hated by humans for what reason? I mean, you could _PASS _as a human."

Asagi moodily scuffed the frosted dirt with her feet.

"Oh, it's something really stupid. Apparently the hanyou on Horai Island discovered something that's gonna piss off humans for centuries."

Makoto looked at her interestedly.

"What's that then?"

"The secret to looking eternally youthful. Humans keep trying all sorts of things, on Horai, all you had to do was drink some magic water."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe. I only own Rinkusu, Suteneko, Chrysaetos, InuTono, Ryuu No Taisho and Hanone. Makoto belongs to the author Ausir.

Translation notes: A _hitoe_ is a shirt-like garment, much like what Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru wear. _Hakama_ are basically trousers – pants.

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 17**

**Asagi's choice**

Cold winds blew over the campsite where Makoto, Chrysaetos, Rinkusu and Asagi rested. The fire burned low in the darkness, its' warm amber light dying away. Moodily, Asagi got up and threw some more dead wood onto the flames, her golden eyes looking into the depths of the fire. Only one gem fragment remained in their possession, General Akashiri's raid having been a total disaster for the motley group. Fortunately, only one of the two green shards had been stolen, but the work of the youkai slayer had battered them all. On top of that, Rinkusu was poisoned, Ayame had left, and she still had four days to go before her monthly transition to human form. Ryuuzatsume was becoming polluted with jaki, giving strength to the malicious spirit of Ryuu Youshou. Unless she somehow purified the blade, which she had no idea how to do, her best weapon would be unusable except by perhaps InuTono and Sesshoumaru, both powerful daiyoukai who could master such evil powers. In her hanyou form she was better suited to run and dodge and, perhaps best of all her abilities, hide, but mouse hanyou were not combatants. Also, her mother had been a mere youkai, not a daiyoukai like Inuyasha's father. She gave a deep sigh and glanced at where Rinkusu was sleeping. Aside from taking a few drinks of water, the lynx hanyou looked as if death was just waiting to pounce on him as he lay there, unmoving under a ragged blanket. Although there was a distinct hint in the air of spring, it remained cold at night, especially with the sky clear. Deciding she could do nothing to aid Rinkusu for the time being, Asagi lay down on the frosty earth and looked up at the sky. Makoto was sleeping deeply, not far from Chrysaetos. Whether he intended to or not, the ancient eagle youkai radiated heat like a second sun, which he had explained as an emission of youki. Asagi smiled as she glanced at Makoto, who was muttering something in his sleep. She turned to look up at the stars sparkling in the cold sky. Already, the moon had set. As she lay on the ground, still wearing her new pale-blue and light green kimono, a point of light in the sky shot overhead, growing brighter and brighter as the seconds passed. Asagi watched in fascination as the falling star grew as bright as a full moon before abruptly petering out, leaving the sky relatively blank once the meteor had gone. She smiled and got up, unable to rest. As she stood, the sheath of Ryuuzatsume rubbed against her leg, prompting her to look down at the sheathed blade. She debated whether or not to detach the weapon from her obi for now; it was a cold night, and there were no youkai or humans around apart from her friends. In the end she decided against it, and began to pace around in the small copse near to their campsite. Rinkusu wasn't getting better, it had only been dumb luck that she wasn't poisoned as badly. Perhaps taking him to a healer of some sort would be wise, but she didn't know anyone from the area, and being a hanyou, she might stir up undue alarm. And she had the last five gem shards to get to as well. She gave a groan of frustration and slumped down to the forest floor.

"What am I meant to do; worry about my friend or press on with my mission? And how can I ask such a thing, Rinkusu's been nothing but good to me."

A light chuckle from nearby made her look up fast. She could sense the stranger had youki about them, but it seemed odd. Almost diluted, as if…

"I don't know what your troubles are, but reciting them out loud in a small wood will only make anyone who hears them think you're a Shikon Shard short of a gem."

Asagi couldn't help herself; she laughed at the stranger's odd phrase.

"A Shikon Shard short of a gem? Well, Inuyasha did have some trouble with getting those shards back."

A small but crooked figure walked up to her. In the dim starlight, even with her good night-vision, Asagi couldn't see much of the newcomer. However, the scent she gave off was very familiar.

"What are you doing in lynx youkai territory? My race is peaceful enough, but we've been alert ever since Ryuu No Taisho showed up in this part of the land. At least Lord InuTono doesn't blow things up when he passes through."

Asagi reached out towards the cloaked figure.

"Wait, you seem very familiar to me. And you smell, well, almost like my friend Rinkusu, as if you were…"

The smaller figure chuckled dryly.

"As if I was related to him? Yes I am. I'm his sister, Suteneko."

Asagi gasped in astonishment.

"You're Rinkusu's sister?"

Suteneko narrowed her eyes at Asagi and walked towards the campsite. Rinkusu hadn't moved, and Makoto was as sound asleep as ever. As the female lynx hanyou walked into the firelight, Asagi could see her better. Her right arm was crippled, discoloured and shrunken against her comparatively healthy left limb, and she walked almost hunchbacked, clearly a memento from her birth scars. She wore a dark brown tunic marked with pale yellow runic swirls, but her ears were just like her brother's. Asagi fell into step behind the crippled hanyou, and began to go through her bag to give her unexpected guest something to eat. Suteneko reached her brother and looked him over, holding her left hand just in front of his nose, sniffing casually at his prone figure. After a few seconds, she withdrew her hand and turned to Asagi.

"The poison's got into his blood, so cutting him and making him bleed is the only way to cure him right now. You'll have to drain perhaps half his blood to give him a fighting chance."

Asagi recoiled in shock. Suteneko looked at her solemnly, and drew a stained iron dagger from her obi, which she had kept completely hidden.

"It bothers you that you'll need to harm him to make him heal doesn't it?"

"Of course it does. Rinkusu's been nothing but good to me."

"Sometimes, to heal, you HAVE to cause pain, hanyou."

Asagi looked at the smaller hanyou and sighed.

"My name is Asagi. What happens if I leave him?"

Suteneko's eyes flared briefly in the firelight as she lay down on her belly, her left arm curled underneath her to help her get up later.

"Leave him and it's likely he'll die. And I doubt you could convince InuTono to use his healing blade, Reikiyaiba."

"Does that sword bring someone back from the dead?"

Suteneko nodded.

"Yes, and cures them of all injury, but it can only save a soul twice. And the power to resurrect drains the user immensely. InuTono can master it, but if you were to use it on Rinkusu, you'd fail to revive him and you'd die as well."

Asagi was silent as she looked into the fire. Suteneko twitched slightly, the scars on her back stinging. Slowly, Asagi held her hand out to Suteneko.

"I'll do it, and make it as painless as I can for him. If only half his blood is poisoned, he might recover faster. And hanyou like us heal faster than humans would."

Suteneko lightly threw the dagger to Asagi using her shrunken arm. As she moved, Asagi could see the flesh higher up the arm was rotten, and the skin was decaying. It seemed only Suteneko's youkai blood was keeping her from losing use of her right arm at all. The stench of rotting flesh wafted over the cold air, making Asagi involuntarily cringe. She reached into the bag and withdrew some tattered but clean cloths to bandage Rinkusu with. She turned slowly to Suteneko, who was watching her every move.

"Can't I bandage you up with these? Right now, with your arm the way it is, I could save you a lot of pain."

Suteneko pushed herself up so she was resting on her knees and being held upright by her left arm alone. She smiled at Asagi, concealing the pain in her eyes from her scarred limb.

"No, save your treatment for Rinkusu. I'm beyond saving."

Asagi lowered the iron knife and looked at Suteneko. She looked about seven or eight years old, but spoke with the attitude of someone who had accepted their death was just around the corner. The younger hanyou looked back solemnly, as if trying to outstare her. Asagi spoke up.

"Why do you sound so bitter and defeated? Surely there's hope for you yet?"

Suteneko coughed and looked away from Asagi.

"My condition isn't relevant to Rinkusu's. Do what you need to do, Asagi, and don't worry about me. I'm not in mortal danger."

Asagi looked at Suteneko for a long time, and finally shuffled over to where Rinkusu lay, fast asleep. Her yellow eyes welling up with unshed tears, she shook him awake. Rinkusu looked around with bleary eyes and smiled weakly when he caught sight of Asagi.

"Did I fall…asleep again, Asagi? This…poison is draining me…of all my strength."

Asagi bit her lip as she eased his left arm out from under the blanket. Rinkusu looked at her, confused.

"What are…you doing?"

Asagi gave a deep sigh, her eyes shedding tears as she looked down at her friend.

"It seems that to make you get better, you need to lose a lot of blood. The poison is in your blood stream, so if you lose some, you lose the poison too. I know this will hurt you, but it's for the best."

Rinkusu's eyes widened at the news, but he didn't protest or pull his arm away. Asagi shut her eyes and plunged the dagger into the male hanyou's arm, spraying the ground with his polluted blood. For what felt like an eternity, the only sound was the dripping of Rinkusu's blood onto the forest floor and the crackle of the fire. It wasn't long before Rinkusu passed out. Asagi felt her stomach twist as she watched her friend bleed. Finally, Suteneko spoke up.

"He's lost about half his blood now. Seal his wound and let him rest. He ought to be fine in a day or so."

Asagi didn't speak as she dressed Rinkusu's wound. Owing to where she'd cut him, he ought to heal easily and not even have a scar to show for what had happened. It still made her feel awful for having made him lose enough blood for it to pool on the forest floor nearby. She finished dressing the cut and moved to sit by Suteneko. The young hanyou looked up Asagi and sat down properly, her left hand touching Asagi on the shoulder.

"You did the right thing. If you'd waited, Rinkusu would have died."

Asagi gave her a wan smile, her eyes still flooded with tears.

"Yes, maybe I did save his life, but it, it just feels wrong to have caused him pain to have done so."

Suteneko shrugged.

"He won't hold it against you. Neither Rinkusu nor I have had an easy life, because we're both hanyou and therefore weaker than full blooded youkai. But Rinkusu has always been warm-hearted, and even the full blooded lynx youkai at our home acknowledge that this is his true strength."

"Is that why your mother gave Rinkusu that halberd? Can he master its' ability with his kindness?"

"I don't know. Our mother made it for him before I was born."

Asagi rubbed her eyes as she looked over at Rinkusu. Apart from his ashen face, he looked better than he had before he'd been poisoned, and was sleeping deeply. As she turned around, a shadowy figure vanished behind a tree. She got up quickly and drew Ryuuzatsume. Even as the blade transformed to its' larger, wavy-edged shape, the stains of jaki became apparent. She approached the tree and swung her sword at it.

"Come out, I know you're there!"

The flat of the sword blade forced the youkai out of hiding. A snarling lynx youkai stood nearby, holding a pair of gem-tipped knives. Clad in a russet hitoe and a pair of black hakama, the youkai didn't appear to be a mindless killer, but one of a more civilized clan. Suteneko looked up and smiled.

"I ought to have known you'd follow me here, Kita. These are friends of my brother."

Kita sheathed his knives and walked up to Suteneko. Asagi sheathed Ryuuzatsume, confident that Kita was no threat to them. The lynx youkai spoke in a deep, clear voice.

"The tribe was beginning to wonder when Rinkusu would return, he wandered away at the end of last summer, when we returned from the lake. Why is his blood staining the ground?"

Suteneko shifted slightly.

"I told his hanyou friend Asagi that she'd have to make him bleed to help him heal. It's working, but…"

Kita cut Suteneko off harshly.

"Your methods are too harsh, Suteneko! Yes, it might have been the fastest way, but you forget, hanyou, that there are also herbs that could have done the job just as well, if a little slower. Making him bleed so badly was NOT compulsory."

Suteneko seemed to shrink in on herself, actually looking like an eight year old child, not a cynical victim. She gave a choked sigh, and got up silently and walked behind a tree nearby. Kita sighed and shook his head, turning to look at Asagi.

"Well, maybe I was too hard on her, but it had to be said. Anyway, Asagi, you and your group can rest at our tribal home if you wish. Suteneko will lead you there."

Without waiting for Asagi's reply, Kita got up and vanished into the dark woodlands. Asagi got up and went to find Suteneko. The small hanyou hadn't gone far, and was leaning up against a pine tree. Asagi quietly approached her, although she knew the Suteneko was aware of her. She gently reached out and touched the lynx hanyou on the arm, enough to prompt her to turn around. Tears were coursing down her face, making her eyes sparkle with moisture. Without waiting, Suteneko flung herself on Asagi, nearly knocking her over and wringing a surprised squeak out of the older hanyou. For what felt like an eternity, Asagi crouched in the leaf litter, hugging Suteneko as best she could without hurting her. Memories flashed back to her of times she'd held Ai in a similar way, and even Shion once. Finally, she got up and led Suteneko back to the campsite. Some time whilst they'd been in the forest, Makoto had woken up and was taking the time to drink from his flask and check on Rinkusu. Asagi smiled at him, and sat down near the fire, wanting to warm up after squatting in the forest for so long. Makoto looked at Suteneko curiously, but went back to sleep rather than question the strange hanyou's presence. Suteneko curled up beside the fire and dozed off, feeling safe in the presence of her brother and his friends. Asagi watched her sleep for a long time before she too finally gave in to slumber.

Morning dawned bright but still cloudy. The fire was mere glowing embers by the time Asagi awoke. Makoto, Chrysaetos and Rinkusu were all still asleep, but Suteneko was wide awake. The young hanyou squatted by the side of the fire, her green eyes staring intently at the charred branches. Asagi stretched, catching Suteneko's attention. Almost timidly, Suteneko looked up.

"Asagi?"

"Hmm?"

"D-do you think my method of healing my brother w-was harsh?"

Asagi pondered Suteneko's question. Kita's criticism of her rash method of healing had clearly shaken Suteneko, but there could be no denying it had worked well for the poisoned hanyou. She thought through her answer before speaking.

"I do think it was harsh, and like Kita said, herbs would have worked just as well in more time. But time was not something Rinkusu had, and few plants grow well so early in the season. So yes, it WAS a harsh decision to make. But it was the _only one_ open to you, and it definitely did work for your brother."

Suteneko gave a timid smile, which Asagi returned. She got up and looked around.

"Asagi? What are you to my brother?"

Asagi flushed bright red. Of all the questions she could have asked, she had to pick the only one she wasn't at all sure of.

"Well, I know I'm a friend to him, and I think he knows that. B-but I don't think we have too much of a bond between us yet."

Suteneko nodded silently and turned to go for a walk, leaving Asagi alone with her many thoughts. Asagi blew out a sigh, although her cheeks were still bright red from Suteneko's question. Other questions began to pour into her mind, unbidden. Would Ryuuzatsume be purified to the point she could master Gokuryuuha? Would she get the Protection Gem back? What would happen with Rinkusu and Suteneko? She sighed, shaking her head in a vain attempt to forget all of her many problems. As she turned to get the last of the dried fish out of her haversack, Rinkusu stirred from his deep sleep. She dropped the food and ran to his side as his bright green eyes opened.

"Oh, hello Asagi. Is my sister still here?"

Asagi smiled as her friend woke up, and glanced around to see where Suteneko had gone to. Her distinctive scent wafted over the breeze, but even as she turned to reassure Rinkusu his sister was alright, a second, more pungent odour flooded the area. Asagi got up and dashed towards the scent, Rinkusu following as best he could. In mere seconds, Asagi had reached a small clearing. Suteneko was snarling viciously at a horned ogre, trying to keep the hostile youkai at bay. Asagi drew Ryuuzatsume, but even as the sword cleared the sheath, black patches stained the red blade. Biting her lip, she mentally pleaded with whatever god there was to let her prevail. The ogre turned to her, baring its fangs in a wicked smile. Asagi ran at the ogre and slashed, pirouetting to add more force to the blow. The ogre was killed, but now Ryuuzatsume was almost completely jet black. Asagi sheathed the blade, her hands trembling. Rinkusu walked up behind her and hugged her softly. Asagi turned around and hugged Rinkusu back. Suteneko glanced over at her brother embracing Asagi and smiled. After a few minutes, Rinkusu broke the hug and smiled nervously at Asagi.

"We should head back to Makoto and Chrysaetos. When we're all together, we can go to my home."

Asagi nodded and retraced her steps back towards their camp. On arriving, she saw that Makoto was still asleep, and Chrysaetos was wide awake, looking at her with his fierce eyes. Asagi explained about Suteneko and Rinkusu's home being nearby, and the ancient eagle youkai nodded, flexing his enormous wings.

"We should go to the lynx youkai; they might have clues about the remaining shards, or even the shards themselves. The map InuTono gave us was written a while ago, and it's likely the more civilized youkai have gathered the fragments out of curiosity."

Asagi nodded and walked to where Makoto slept. She prodded the human in the side, forcing him to wake up.

"Hmmm? It's time to get up already? Oh well, I suppose it wouldn't kill me."

He got up, picking up his golden knives as he did so. After taking some food from Asagi's pack and taking a drink of water, the young onmyouji announced he was ready to go, mistaking a nearby tree for Asagi, much to the hanyou's amusement. Rinkusu and Suteneko emerged from the trees, and the entire group climbed on Chrysaetos' back. The huge eagle youkai spread his wings and took off, flying towards the lynx youkai village.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Inuyasha universe. I only own Rinkusu, Suteneko, Chrysaetos, InuTono, Ryuu No Taisho and Hanone. Makoto belongs to the author Ausir.

**Asagi's Tale**

**Chapter 18**

**Home sweet home**

Warm sunshine fell on Makoto's back as he rode on the giant eagle Chrysaetos. They'd been flying for at least an hour, and were approaching the forest where Rinkusu and his sister Suteneko lived. Asagi lay against one of the huge spikes on the eagle's back, looking drowsy. Suteneko was shaking at being so high up, and Rinkusu was humming to himself, looking up at the clouds. Deciding to see what was troubling Asagi, Makoto made his way over to where the female hanyou sat. Asagi's yellow eyes flicked over to him, and she smiled wearily at him.

"How's this journey going with you, Makoto? I can't help but feel it's all pointless. None of us here can touch the Dragon Talisman without corrupting all the dragons in the land, Sesshoumaru still has one of the fragments, and the warlord Akashiri has the rest. By now, he could have all of them except the one we have and the one Sesshoumaru has."

Asagi reached into her obi and pulled a shining green splinter out, holding it up to the sun. Makoto smiled and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Asagi, your quest is not pointless. Besides, the legend says there are three seals. Returning the Protection Gem will only break one of them; there's no telling what the other two are. And even if all three ARE broken, there's no guarantee disaster will come. InuTono himself might be the daiyoukai who can handle the weight of the burden."

The female hanyou blew out a tired sigh and pocketed the gem fragment.

"Well, for now let's just try and relax around Rinkusu and Suteneko. They're both going home again. We could use a rest; we've been on the move since the gem fragmented."

Slowly, Chrysaetos landed in a meadow near a thick pine forest. Rinkusu got up, but Suteneko simply leapt off the eagle's back, looking immensely relieved to be on solid ground again, even if her jump caused her discomfort. Makoto, Asagi and Rinkusu climbed down off the eagle, who promptly decided now was as good a time as any to nap, and shut his huge eyes, his youki pervading the area to deter any possible attackers. Suteneko beckoned the others to follow her, and led them along a well disguised path into the depths of the pine forest. Asagi tried her hardest to remember the way, but the gloomy forest seemed to be completely and utterly devoid of any path. Suteneko rounded an immense pine tree, and there before them lay a small gulley, pockmarked with caves. Inside each cave were signs of habitation, and in some cases, lynx youkai. Many of them showed no sign they knew Suteneko was back, but one graceful grey youkai looked up and waved to the crippled hanyou. Suteneko smiled and walked down into the gulley, the others in tow. A small stream ran right through the rocky depression, still frozen over, and a large fire burned in the middle of the depression. Suteneko approached the female youkai and embraced her with her good arm. Rinkusu smiled and also ran forward. Asagi and Makoto watched as the female youkai knelt down, the better to embrace the two hanyou. She then looked up at the two strangers.

"So, you've befriended my children have you, hanyou? I am their mother, my name is Yuki."

Asagi smiled, elbowing Makoto to make him smile too. Yuki looked over Asagi and Makoto, and then beckoned them forward. Asagi looked back at Rinkusu's mother. She was tall and saturnine, her hair faded grey but shot with silver. Her fur was also grey, but her eyes were a brilliant blue. She wore a dark kimono with a pale red obi tied around her waist. All in all, she looked far more human than youkai, an opinion only heightened by her distinctive lack of lynx ears. Yuki turned and led them all into a cave nearby. Rinkusu poked a stick into the large fire burning in the hollow, and walked into his home with it, lighting the various lamps hung around the cave. When all the lamps were lit, he blew out the flame and threw the stick out of the cave entrance, and then sat down. Asagi and Makoto both looked around in awe and wonder. The cave seemed to have been cut by hand rather than natural erosion. A steep trench at least two foot deep ran through to the back of the cave wall, and through here the stream gurgled, unfrozen. Each of the lamps was expertly cut from granite, and the candles inside burned brightly. What made them truly impressive was the way each lamp was coloured with shards of gemstones. Emeralds, rubies, topaz, sapphires and quartz tinted the light beautifully. Rinkusu and Suteneko both sat by their mother, leaving Asagi and Makoto sat near the stream. Yuki began to speak.

"I want to thank you for helping Rinkusu through the hard time he had when he reverted to his youkai form. Don't tell anyone else of this. Such things would only arouse scorn from others in the village."

Asagi nodded quietly. Yuki carried on talking.

"Also, Rinkusu tells me you have trouble with the ancient daiyoukai Ryuu Youshou. Let me see your sword, Asagi."

Silently, she unsheathed Ryuuzatsume and passed it to Yuki. The lynx youkai examined the blade intently. Where the blade had once been a brilliant shade of russet, it was now stained black almost all over. Only flecks of red remained, making the sword look like it had been immersed in blood. Yuki returned the weapon with a silent nod.

"Somehow, you've been keeping Ryuu Youshou's spirit at bay. When you revert to your human form you should be able to dispel his presence with ease."

Asagi accepted the blade and sheathed it, looking troubled at the thought of her coming transition. Yuki turned to Makoto.

"Why do you travel with my son? Many humans I know of loathe youkai, hanyou even more so."

"I travel with Rinkusu and Asagi to help them, and explore more of this land."

Yuki nodded.

"But why have you come so far north? Don't you live further south?"

Makoto nodded.

"I did live in Osaka, yes. But my reasons for coming north will remain secret."

Asagi looked at Makoto in surprise. She'd always imagined the young onmyouji to be fairly compliant, if a bit stubborn about which colour was which. Yuki accepted his polite defiance with a smile.

"Well, you must be weary. I know you all seek the fragments of the Protection Gem, but we have none here. Rest as much as you please. Suteneko, come, we need to examine your wounds."

Suteneko silently stood up and walked out of the cave, followed by her mother. Rinkusu watched them go, and then turned to his friends with a smile on his face.

"I'll show you where you can sleep tonight. There's room in the back of the cave for all of us, and my mother sleeps in the side cave."

Asagi nodded and removed her backpack. Makoto removed his too, his brass telescope glinting in the multi-coloured light. Just as he was about to ask Rinkusu something, a tiny figure ran into the cave, carrying something golden. Makoto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Itachi! What are you doing here?"

The weasel shikigami opened his clenched paw and dropped something green onto the rocky ground. Asagi gasped in wonder. It was nearly the whole Protection Gem. Makoto and Rinkusu looked at it in surprise, and then turned to Makoto's servant.

"How did you get this?"

Itachi spoke in a very rapid way, his voice squeaky.

"Itachi hear rumours about human general making himself a god, so Itachi finds his den and sneaks in. Humans not see Itachi, Itachi small and very clever. Itachi steals gem, then tracks master. Now master has gem!"

Asagi picked up the gem and pulled the splinter of jewel out of her obi. She pressed it against the bulk of the jewel, which flew apart, absorbed the shard, and then reassembled. Asagi put the Protection Gem in her bag, and was about to question Itachi further when she saw the weasel shikigami had gone as suddenly as he had appeared. Rinkusu gave a small smile.

"Your shikigami doesn't waste time, does he Makoto?"

Makoto shrugged and ran a hand through his black hair.

"Well, now we just have to track down the last fragments, and track down Sesshoumaru."

He got up and retreated to the back of the cave, yawning. Without even a futon to rest on, in moments he was asleep. Asagi smiled at Makoto, and then turned to find Rinkusu was sitting right next to her, making her jump.

"Oh, you startled me there, Rinkusu!"

Rinkusu smiled and opened a book he'd fetched whilst Makoto had gone to rest.

"Since we'll be resting here for tonight at least, would you like to hear a story, Asagi?"

Asagi giggled, much to Rinkusu's surprise.

"What's it called? The history of the lynx?"

Rinkusu raised his eyebrows in surprise, but shook his head.

"No, it's about my ancestor."

Asagi sat back, looking interested. Rinkusu read for what felt like hours, describing his ancestor Yamaneko, a giant lynx daiyoukai who had stalked the island of Hokkaido and made it his territory and home. Asagi fought to resist the urge to fall asleep, knowing Rinkusu would be upset if she did. Although he was a very good friend, and a talented fighter, Rinkusu was simply not a storyteller. Finally, he stopped reading, putting the book aside.

"You look tired, Asagi."

She glanced up from where she'd been looking at a crack in the floor.

"Hmm?"

"You look tired."

"I am, very tired. I shouldn't be, it could be because the new moon is tomorrow, and I revert to human the day after that. I'm not looking forward to this battle with Ryuu Youshou."

Asagi slumped, looking very drowsy indeed. Rinkusu withdrew and headed into the back of the cave, leaving Asagi to stare at the trench where the stream ran. She felt guilty for feeling so badly about Rinkusu's reading. He'd willingly put up with her since they'd met, and had risked his life to aid her in her quest. She decided to make it up to him somehow, even though he likely did not know his reading had made her want to rest. She smoothed down her kimono and was just about to attempt a brief rest leaning against the cave wall when she felt herself being lifted up, bridal style. Her golden eyes shot wide open when she saw Rinkusu was carrying her in his arms towards the back of the cave.

"R-rinkusu, what are you doing?!"

Rinkusu smiled at her warmly.

"Carrying you, Asagi, can't you see?"

"Yes, b-but…"

Rinkusu chuckled softly as he lowered Asagi onto the futon he'd made up for her. Asagi was unpleasantly aware that she was bright red, feeling acutely embarrassed by having been held by her friend in such a way. She removed her sword and placed it by her futon, her movements slow and lethargic. As she felt sleep beckoning to her, she felt Rinkusu drape warm blankets over her, prompting her to smile sleepily for him. She pulled the blankets over herself for the most comfort, and just then felt something warm and moist touch her cheek. She looked up in surprise to see Rinkusu smiling at her, blushing fit to burst. She raised her hand and gently ran her fingers over his cheek, smiling warmly. With a warm smile, she fell asleep almost straight away. Rinkusu smiled fondly at her as she slept, and got up to make his way to rest as well. The gurgle of the bubbling stream sounded dimly in the background, prompting a smile from the male lynx hanyou. He dozed off pretty fast, and neither hanyou stirred as Makoto woke up again. As quietly as he could, the onmyouji walked to the trench concealing the stream and looked down into the clear water, tinted by the many lanterns made by Rinkusu's mother. Slowly, the prophecy he'd heard almost a year ago in Osaka came back to his mind, foretelling events that would unfold in Hokkaido. He sighed, his eyes closing. A vision flitted before him, showing a cataclysmic fight with Ryuu No Taisho. In the background he heard the roar of a dog youkai, the slash of claws tearing through flesh, and a scream of disbelief.


End file.
